Love Me, Sakura
by Eternal Icicle
Summary: Sakura was hurt by the loss of her team. She didn't want to get close to anyone else in case she lost them too but with a ninja as persistent as Kankuro, it's harder to stay away than she thought. KankxSaku Rating may go up later
1. Sakura's Expertise

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_**Hiya everyone! I know I have another story already in the works but I just had this little thing running around my head so I wrote it down and really liked it. I hope you guys do too :) **_**Just a few things: This story is set a year or so after the Shippuden storyline so Sakura is 17 and Kankuro is 19. I know that Sakura is a little more dark and serious than she usually is but there's a good reason! I swear there is! Oh, she's also stronger than normal too for reasons that will be expanded on later. **

**Let's get on with the story shall we?**

* * *

_**Love Me, Sakura:- **Sakura was hurt by the loss of her team. She didn't want to get close to anyone else in case she lost them too but with a ninja as persistent as Kankuro, it's harder to stay away than she thought. KankxSaku_

**_Chapter One - Sakura's Expertise_**

A set of glittering white teeth gently tugged the soft doughy goodness from the stick which impaled it. The syrup which coated it transferred to the pinkish lips which hid the slow chewing that initiated the digestive process. A soft, satisfied grunt travelled up the delicate throat of the young woman as she revelled in the sweet taste and texture of the delightful treat. Surely it had to be wrong for something to taste as good as this. Well, if it was, Haruno Sakura was grateful for the chance to brighten up another dreary day of expanding her medicinal repertoire. Sure, she loved her job but when you were forced to study for days on end it became a little...boring to say the least. Emerald eyes told of the stress that the teenage girl was under accented by bags underneath them, making her look reminiscent of a raccoon. Not a good look for her.

Sakura shut the file that was currently open in front of her with its contents strewn over the table that she took up all by herself, "Is there something you wanted Neji?"

Behind her, a man wearing the typical ANBU mask and uniform stood completely still and upright. He was surprised by Sakura's ability to recognise him without even looking around, it seemed she was more skilled than he had heard from her closer friends. He ran his hand through his chesnut brown locks which had many people jealous; his hair always looked _incredible _and with so little effort too. Sakura could be counted amongst the jealous women. "I'm sorry Sakura-san but Hokage-sama wishes to see you immediately." He said, his tone formal yet a hint of concern was mixed in there. The other morsel of information given to him by the likes of Ino had been true as well. The pink haired medical genius was indeed a tired ball of stress. The Hyuga prodigy could see the tensing of her muscles as she hunched over the work she had been engrossed in and it worried him. Sakura had been pushing herself harder and harder lately. As if she were trying to make up for something, "I'm afraid it's urgent."

"Ugh...I guess I'll have to go then. Arigato Neji." Sakura sighed as she rose from her seat. The man nodded briefly before disappearing in a small, billowing cloud of white smoke. The pinkette ran her hands through the longer locks which topped her head. It seemed that she would not be having a day to herself after all. This seemed to be happening more and more lately. She was sure that there was something Tsunade wasn't telling her but it wasn't her place to doubt her shishou. If what was going on was any of her business, Sakura knew that Tsunade respected her enough to make sure that she was the first to know.

Slapping a hand on the table, Sakura left more than enough money to pay for the dango that she had been enjoying. Not wishing to waste what she bought with her hard earned wages, Sakura took the stick between her teeth as she gathered up her medical notes. Her heeled shoes carried her out of the shop swiftly, guiding her towards the landmark of the village; the Hokage mansion. You couldn't miss the most imposing building in Konoha which was situated directly in front of the carvings which served as a memorial to the Hokages who lead the village. Painted in a deep red, the building was supposed to pay homage to the Fire Country in which they dwelled and was where every ninja must report in order to leave the village to perform any of their missions. Sakura herself had been inside the building more than most, as apprentice to the Hokage she was privvy to more of its secrets than most ordinary shinobi were supposed to be entitled to. Thanks to this, she had been able to banish some of the former ignorance of her genin years by educating herself on the history of the shinobi world. It served as a haven of sorts as Sakura enjoyed nothing more than memorising this information down to the smallest detail, something she had enjoyed since she was much smaller. Sometimes it took Tsunade's personal intervention to remove the young woman from the libraries.

The wooden doors were pushed open easily by the pinkette's greater than average raw strength, allowing her to quickly walk down the wide corridors which snaked around the inner shell of the building in a circular fashion. True to Konoha's natural surroundings, the majority of the decor was wooden or incorporated wood in some sort of way. The red theme continued along the walls too as Sakura climed the first set of stairs that she had climbed so many times before. It got a little monotonous and she wished that Tsunade would at least _think_ about changing it a little bit at some point.

_XxxXxxXxxXxxX_

Tsunade's deep amber eyes located her pink haired student as she travelled along the winding streets that created a maze in the village that her own grandfather had created with his Mokuton Jutsu. The Sannin wasn't happy that the girl was taking so long to get where she was needed. Hadn't Neji told her it was urgent? It was understandable though since Sakura had been promised a day where she could do what she wanted. It seemed she would need to reschedule that day in the light of what Tsunade had to tell her.

"She's on her way isn't she?" came the impatient voice of the boy who stood on the other side of the desk.

"Of course." Tsunade snapped. She wasn't in the mood for obnoxious little brats coming into her village, demanding her best medic and then treating the Hokage herself like nothing more than some old bag. If they weren't extremely infuential people in their village, Tsunade would have clobbered the pair who stood in her office. A yelp of pain came from the same boy's deep voice.

"Don't be so damned rude!" the snarl of the woman beside him came. It seemed that Tsunade would have competition for the right to beat on the boy, "It's only been a few minutes since Tsunade-sama called her here so just be patient for once in your life!" Tsunade glanced at her raven haired assistant Shizune and shared a mutual smirk. The woman who had scolded him was just as agitated at he was so what she was saying was probably advice for herself just as much as it was for him. It was evident in her voice that she was incredibly worried about the entire situation so Tsunade had a little sympathy for the pair.

When her eyes returned the the streets below, Tsunade couldn't see the shock of pink which stood out amongst the sea of browns, blonds and blacks which dominated the population's heads which indicated that Sakura had entered the building at some point during the scolding. Hopefully she would make her way up to the office and put an end to the awkward silence that had envelopped the room. A sigh of relief left her mouth as she heard the single knock which usually preceeded her student's entrance, "Come in!" she called over to the wooden door which was already in the process of opening slowly. The sannin would never get used to the darker Sakura that had emerged as a result of her personal struggles. Her bubblegum pink hair was the only bit of colour besides the small tattoo which was inked into her pale flesh, depicting a strange image of an eye which held the crimson colour of the Sharingan that Uchiha Sasuke had once held complete with the small overlapping elipses surrounding the pupil. The eye lay atop an orange swirl pattern just to the left of Sakura's navel.

Sakura herself wore more revealing clothing than she had in her younger years. Having grown into her semi-adult body, Sakura was much more comfortable in her skin. A pair of tight, black leather trousers were tucked into black boots which had four inch heels adding to her petite frame. Her midriff was completely visible as all she wore was a small black tube top atop a strange article of clothing which covered her neck up before splitting just above Sakura's bust and travelling down her sides to the waistline of the trousers that she wore. It had an intricate floral pattern which had the occasional flash of a pink cherry blossom petal design incorporated into it. It seemed to be made out of a material similar to fishnet which was common amongst modern kunoichi. Tsunade never understood the fixation with the stuff herself.

"You called for me, shishou?" her light, soft voice rang through the room attracting the eyes of the two ninjas who were stood between her and the Hokage.

"Good, you're here Sakura." Tsunade smiled, "Although I do wish you'd stop dawdling all the time."

"Sorry." she smiled sheepishly, blushing slightly as she walked further into the room. Her heels clicked against the hard wood floor as she approached the desk, "What do you need me for on my day off?"

"You'll need to rearrange it Sakura, I'm afraid." Tsunade sighed, "Our friends from Suna require your assistance."

Sakura's head turned to look at the two who were now stood behind her. Both ninjas she recognised as being the blond haired wind rider, Temari and her puppet loving brother Kankuro. Both had looks of worry mixed with the shock of seeing the woman who had helped to save Kankuro and Gaara's lives a year ago. Sakura chuckled thinking about how different she must have looked to them while they looked pretty much the same as ever, "Do they now? Whatever could they need with little old me?" her tone was accompanied by a smirk.

"A strange new illness has struck several high ranking officials." Temari explained, the concern evident in her voice, "Including our Kazekage. He's never been ill before. The Shukaku always stopped it."

"Keep in mind that he no longer has it." Sakura reminded them, "It's quite possible that without it he would get ill, like the rest of us."

"Right." Tsunade nodded, "Sakura, they need you to help them identify what it is and then develop a cure." Sakura sighed.

"Why not yourself or Shizune-shishou? Surely you're better qualified." she said, "I'm just a medic in training."

"The illness was found to be made by _chakra_." Tsunade smirked, "I think your abilities are best suited for this job. And you're far from a mere trainee, Sakura." Sakura's eyes narrowed. Tsunade was telling her to use the gift she got from Sasuke. This had to be bad if she was telling her to do that. Sakura pursed her lips and shifted her stance so her weight was more on her left side. She was obviously not happy with being told to reveal her secret to help a foreign land.

"Fine." she said, walking past the two Suna ninjas and opening the door, "If you need me, I'll be in the hospital."

"Take Kankuro-san and Temari-san with you." Tsunade said, "They can help."

"All I need from them is a sample of the illness." Sakura said, "Other than that, you know that I work _alone_." Her tone was suddenly deadly serious and her emerald eyes were narrowed dangerously at the upcoming request that would come from the blond Hokage. Tsunade shook her head. She understood that her pupil had been affected by what had happened but this really wasn't any time for her stubborn attitude. People's lives were on the line.

"Sakura you-"

"No shishou. You know my policy on teams, or do I need to remind you?" she asked. The two ninjas flinched at Sakura's tone with a woman who was supposed the be her superior. Most people wouldn't have dared to challenge the legendary Tsunade but Sakura was blatantly mouthing off. Strangely, Tsunade's face held nothing but sympathy for the girl which was not expected, especially with the blond's legendary temper. Any other Kage, especially their own Kazekage, wouldn't have stood for such insubordination even from their apprentices and assistants. Sakura took Tsunade's silence as her cue to leave. With a swift bow to everyone in the room the young woman swept out of the room, a click of the door following her exit.

Tsunade's hand flew to the draw very near to her. She pulled it open before removing a long oblong shaped box. With a sigh the woman wrote a note and slipped it inside before motioning for Kankuro to come closer, "Take that to Sakura at the hospital." she said with an exasperated sigh, "Only she's to open it. I don't think you'll have any more trouble from her after that." Kankuro nodded.

"What's wrong with the kid anyway?" he asked, "She doesn't seem as...perky as she was before."

"Things happened." Tsunade said sadly, her amber eyes shining with tears all of a sudden, "She took it badly and hasn't really been the same since." Both Sand Siblings looked at each other with confused looks, "Ugh, it's not for me to say anyway. Just get going." Temari rushed for the door while Kankuro just casually sauntered away. When the door closed, Tsunade sat back in her chair.

"I know Sakura has been through a lot but she doesn't need to be so argumentative." Shizune said.

"She's lost so much, give her a break Shizune." Tsunade sighed. The blond could understand what Sakura was going through, having been through it herself and had the utmost sympathy for her. Sakura's behaviour was mild compared to what it could have been and for that, she was thankful.

* * *

Kankuro gripped the oblong shaped box in his gloved hand. His curiosity was beginning to get the better of him as his talented fingertips teased the opening which caused his sister to glare at him, "What? You can't tell me you're not just a little curious Tem."

"The Hokage said it's for Sakura's eyes only." she scolded, snatching the box from her younger brother.

"Yeah, yeah. She won't know if we just have a peek." Kankuro said.

"You want to take that chance?" Temari asked, raising an eyebrow, "This _is_Tsunade we're talking about; she's stronger, smarter and has bigger boobs than you do, little brother. I think she'd beat us hands down."

"Hmph. She may have a great rack and be a good ninja, but I've got the looks and youth on my side." Kankuro huffed, trying to find a way that he might be better than Tsunade at something. Temari rolled her eyes and shook her head with a sigh. Trust Kankuro to be so vain that he'd dismiss the other points that made Tsunade vastly superior to them in every way. All the blond did was walk slightly faster down the white painted, sterile corridor that smelled of medicine and disinfectant. Apparently, according to the receptionist, Sakura had taken the basement of the hospital as her own private training area where she could practise her medical ninjutsu in peace.

Temari heard a low whistle come from behind her as they came to a small staircase which led down to the basement. However, the door at the bottom had numerous seals and warding kanjis drawn around the frame, "Someone really doesn't want to be disturbed, eh?"

"Ugh. I know. How are we supposed to get in now?" she sighed. She didn't really have too much knowledge on seals and warding jutsus, neither did Kankuro as far as she knew. They were stuck as long as Sakura was in there. Kankuro just shrugged and walked past his older sister towards the door. She reached out to stop him but found that she was too late to do so. Kankuro raised his hand and tested the door gingerly just in case Sakura had booby trapped it. Temari flinched instinctively but when no pained scream came from her brother, she opened her eyes again and watched him rap his knuckles against the painted white door loudly.

"Haruno!" he called through to the kunoichi, "Oi! Your Hokage has somethin' for you!"

He jumped back when the door was suddenly yanked open with a frowning pinkette on the other side, "It was open you know. No need to shout." she snapped, causing the two shinobi to grin sheepishly, "You've brought the sample for me?"

"Uhuh." Kankuro said, "And something from your Hokage." Temari reached forwards and handed Sakura the oblong box that Tsunade had given her. Emerald eyes regarded the object with confusion and suspicion. Her nimble fingers eased the box open slowly, revealing a sparkling golden pendant with a locket attached. The note that Tsunade had written was taken out as Sakura gently opened the dainty locket. A gasp escaped her lips as she looked at the pictures of the two boys, one of whom was grinning while the other was brooding and dark.

_Look at them Sakura. Would they really want to see you like this? _

Sakura's eyes welled up as she looked back and forth between the pictures and the note. She should have known that Tsunade would have tried to guilt her into working in a team. Too bad for the pinkette that it was working. She turned from the pair of curious sand-nin and surreptitiously wiped her eyes, "Follow me." she said, her voice barely able to hide the sadness inside her as she walked quietly back into the room that she had previously occupied. Kankuro and Temari gave each other yet another confused look. Whatever had been inside that locket had a very strange effect on the young pinkette who was supposed to help them. Nevertheless, the followed.

"You said you had a sample of the illness." Sakura said, turning round. Her entire demeanour had changed from reluctant to helpful in an instant, "Can you give it to me?"

"Here." Temari said, fishing inside her kimono and pulling out a phial of crimson liquid. She handed it to Sakura who held it up to the light, making the blood shine slightly, "I hope that's enough."

"More than enough." Sakura said, placing the phial into a holder and looking back at the siblings, "Now then, what are the symptoms of the illness that you noticed?"

"Um..." It was Kankuro who answered this time. He figured that with his medicinal training, he should do it, "The skin of the infected has begun to rot away in several places, causing a horrible smell. The skin in those areas turns black and stuff."

"A portable Necrosis technique?" Sakura asked herself, "Who would be cruel enough to do something like that?" She turned to the phial and stared into the contents. The question she should have been asking wasn't _who_ caused it but _how_ could she cure it. Well, just staring at a phial of blood sure wasn't going to help her patients so Sakura, knowing exactly what she would need to do, picked up a scalpel from the nearby equipment cabinet and held out her forearm. Kankuro and Temari cringed slightly when Sakura began to scrape the sharp implement across the surface of her flesh.

_'Ugh...does she have to do that right in front of us?'_ Kankuro thought as he fought the urge to throw up. Sure, he had seen deaths and fatal injuries but there was something about watching a girl willingly scrape her skin off with a scalpel that creeped him out.

With a big enough sample of her own skin to test the substance on, Sakura laid it out onto a microscope slide. Her petite hand now held a pipette which was dipped into the crimson liquid, pulling some of it into it, before she carefully dropped small droplets of the blood onto her skin cells,"I really don't know why your own medical ninja couldn't have done this. It's a relatively simple proceedure." she said.

"Well...you see..." Temari said, her embarrassment rising, "Our medical corps couldn't diagnose what it was. Our medical records aren't as vast as Konoha's are."

"I see. Well that needs to change." she said. Both ninja felt the pinkette's chakra change a little and become more powerful as she looked into the microscope. Sakura stared down the device for several minutes before coming up and turning to the two ninja. They both gasped at the sight of her. Once emerald eyes had turned crimson and three tomoe lay positioned around the pupil, "I know, I know. My eyes are different. It's a long story and one I'd rather not share." she said, looking up at them, "Well...it's definitely a poison."

"That's more than our medical corps got." Kankuro huffed. He couldn't believe they sucked so much that a seventeen year old girl was better than them.

"Hmm...it seems that it causes Necrosis in the skin." Sakura continued, "If I had taken a bone sample, which I will do in a minute, we'll see the extent of the damage caused." Kankuro and Temari were impressed with how professional and efficient Konoha's ninjas were. Sakura's eyes returned to their normal emerald colour.

"Hey. How can you control that? You ain't an Uchiha." Kankuro asked.

"I said I'm not going into it." she snapped, "Now drop it and get back to the matter at hand; saving your brother's life!" Sakura turned and leaned against the counter with a sigh, "Something's wrong though. The poison is extremely quick to infect the cells around it. Even contact with blood will infect a person it seems. With Necrosis we have a limited amount of time before the effects become too widespread and we have to amputate the affected areas."

"But Gaara's entire leg has been infected!" Temari gasped, "If that's amputated then he can't be a shinobi!"

"Exactly. Since it has been at least three days since you left, he will most likely have gotten worse." Sakura said bluntly. It seemed when she went into medic mode, she didn't dance around the point, "I can treat Necrosis but it depends on how far it has developed if I will need to amputate or not." Her finger rested on the red button on the PA speaker system, "Ino. Bring me a sample of bone structure C from the femur would you? And make it quick, it's urgent."

_"Hai Forehead. I'm on my way."_ came a female voice from the other end. Sakura took her finger off and sighed as she leaned against the counter again with her arms folded across her chest. Kankuro was getting restless and his eyes began to wander. He had yet to take full note of what Sakura now looked like. It was such a change from the bright little girl who had saved his life a year ago. She was now darker and more serious which, for Kankuro, was hard to get used to. Whatever Tsunade had been talking about must have affected Sakura a lot more than she was letting on. Beside him, Temari was fidgeting with her kimono with a worried expression. Since Gaara had the Shukaku taken from him, their relationship with him had grown into one that seemed like a real family relationship. Or as close to one as they could get.

"Tem. Don't worry, he'll be alright." he said, smiling slightly as he placed his hand on her shoulder, "We've got the best help for him remember?"

"I guess...but if he isn't a shinobi anymore, what will he do with himself?" she asked, "They won't let him continue as Kazekage."

"It won't come to that." Sakura chipped in, causing both of them to glance at her, "If my theory is right then he'll be absolutely fine."

"And what is this theory?" Kankuro asked sceptically.

"When the Shukaku was taken from Gaara, it still left him with the power to control sand right?" Sakura asked to which they nodded, "So my guess is that the advanced immune system also stayed since it was an integral part of his body. This means that the Necrosis will need a longer time to burrow into his cells, extending our own time to save him." Kankuro and Temari looked a little more hopeful until Sakura dropped the bombshell, "Of course, it's all speculation. I could be wrong." The pair looked deflated at that.

The door of the basement flew open and a blond haired girl jogged in with a small scroll in her hands. Her glittering blue eyes rested on the two Suna ninjas before she looked at Sakura, "Here you are forehead. Your bone." she said with a smile, "What are you gonna do? Use it as a treat for Akamaru and Kiba?"

"I'm saving lives Piggy." Sakura said, her rivalry with the blond causing that familiar sparkle to appear in her eyes, "You know, the _Kazekage_ and his council." Ino's eyes flashed and she looked between the two Sand Siblings. She wasn't about to be out done by Sakura any time soon.

"Don't forget to say that I helped too, Kankuro-kun." Ino smiled sweetly as she drew up close, making her fingers dance up Kankuro's arm. He smirked as Ino pressed her chest against him before bounding out of the room. His eyes were leering at the backside of the young woman as she left the room. Temari smacked him around the head and silently scolded him as Sakura ground her teeth together.

"Stupid pig." Sakura huffed as she turned to the counter, "Always has to muscle in on what I'm doing...I should have asked someone else." It was funny to hear the girl grumbling to herself about a girl that had helped her. And one that Kankuro had taken a great interest in. She had an incredible body with perfect proportions, much like a model. He was willing to bet she was an amazing kunoichi. He watched as Sakura summoned a section of bone from the scroll before tossing the paper aside, making it land in a basket full of similar scrolls. The bone found itself being held above the counter by a pair of grips which allowed Sakura to drip the blood onto it without the need to touch anything. She couldn't afford to become infected herself.

"Found anything?" Kankuro asked a little too quickly.

"Um. No. I only just started." Sakura smirked, "I'm good but not that good, _Kankuro-kun_." The sarcasm in the way she said his name made Temari beside him chuckle. Kankuro was too easily taken in by a woman's charms and too many women were taken in by his, "It probably won't have any affect for another few hours so you had better go and get a bit of rest. I'll get Tsunade-shishou to tell you what's what. That alright?"

"I guess..." Kankuro said, "What are _you_ gonna do?"

"Duh. I'm staying here to keep an eye on it." Sakura said, "I can't leave in case something happens."

"Then there's no way _we're_ leaving." Temari frowned, "I don't know about Kankuro but I want to know what's happening straight from your mouth, not from someone else." Sakura shrugged before hopping up onto the counter to sit.

"Fine. You can stay if you want but I can't guarantee it'll be exciting." Sakura said.

_XxxXxxXxxXxxX_

Sakura wasn't happy at all. Her theory had been proved wrong. Gaara was in just as much danger as everyone else. The bone she had tested the substance on was one which had incredibly powerful chakra still imbued into it. Even with that warding away the illness, the Necrosis fought back. Now the bone was completely rotten and almost falling apart, "Dammit!" she cursed, slamming her fist onto the counter, her strength making everything shudder, "Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!"

"What's wrong?" Kankuro asked as Sakura ran past him and up the stairs with a speed that none of them knew she possessed, "Oi! Aren't you gonna tell us?" When no answer came, the pair of jonin rushed out of the room after the pink haired medic. As they ran after Sakura, they saw the shock of pink turn the corner before hearing the faint sliding sound that the glass doors at the front of the hospital made as they opened to let her out. Sakura bounced from roof to roof after leaving the hospital. Her panting breaths left her lips as she sped towards the office where her mentor would be at that moment. The sun was beginning to set, giving the pinkette an indication of how long she had been in the hospital. It surprised her just how suddenly the rotting process began. The chakra seemed to hold it off for a while before the rotting started. It was almost like the poison was mutating and adapting to whatever chakra it came into contact with.

"Sakura! Wait up!" came a shout which made Sakura turn her head slightly. Temari and Kankuro were trying their hardest to keep up with her, running across the same roof tops that she herself had run across just moments before. Sakura had no time to stop and explain since she needed to see Tsunade about her findings. Sakura didn't bother entering the mansion the conventional way, instead, she threw a stone against Tsunade's window to get her attention. When the older blond turned, she saw Sakura running towards the building. With a sigh she took the hint and opened the window, allowing Sakura to gracefully jump in.

"Sakura. What's wrong with using the door like a normal person?" Tsunade asked with her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry...Tsunade...shishou...but I needed to speak to you now." Sakura panted as she tried to get her breath back.

"Is it about the illness?" Shizune asked. Sakura nodded, "What did you find?"

"It's no illness. It's a fast acting poison." Sakura replied with a sense of urgency to her voice, "The main problem is that it causes necrosis from the point of infection." Tsunade and Shizune's eyes widened. It was such an obscure way of attacking someone's nervous system but effective nonetheless, "I had a theory that since Gaara's immune system would have been increased by the Shukaku, his chakra wouldn't let the poison function properly but..."

"But what Sakura?" Tsunade asked.

"The poison is made of chakra and appears to mutate after a few hours to bypass the chakra that is blocking it." Sakura said, "I used one of the chakra infused bones from the morgue to test this. The bone was fine for about five hours but the poison mutated and rotted the bone within another hour."

"What?" Temari shouted as she and Kankuro climbed through the window, "Did we just hear that right? Gaara's in trouble after all? But you said-"

"I know what I _said_ but I was wrong. It does happen occasionally you know." Sakura frowned before turning back to Tsunade.

"With it mutating like it is...no medical technique will possibly work." Tsunade said, placing a manicured finger on her chin as she tried to think of a way out of it, "You said it takes an hour to rot the bone right?" Sakura nodded, "Right. Sakura, you need to go to Suna. You're the only one who can heal the illness fast enough."

"But you just said chakra won't work." Kankuro argued, "Surely someone more skilled will be better."

"Sakura has techniques that even I cannot perform." Tsunade said. Sakura's anger flared as the pair of Suna ninjas looked at her incredulously. It was like they didn't believe her.

"If she says I can heal them, I can heal them." Sakura growled. Tsunade nodded. She was proud of how strong her pupil had become and had complete faith in her advanced medical abilities. Sakura would know what to do once she got to Suna so she didn't need to give orders. The blond placed a hand on her shoulder and looked down at the teenage medical prodigy, "I'm stronger than I look."

"Good." Tsunade said, "Use the rest of today to get ready." She looked to Temari and Kankuro, "Don't underestimate this girl. And don't let her get hurt. Or you'll regret it." Both of them gulped before nodding once, "I want you out of the village first thing tomorrow morning."

"Hai Tsunade-shishou. I won't let you down." Sakura said, saluting her leader.

* * *

_**What did you think? I'd love to hear what you think of the chapter so if you could review that would be great :) **_

**_Until next time,  
Eternal_**


	2. We're Off To See The Kage

_**Hi! Update time :) Sorry that this chapter is quite a bit shorter than the last one but I didn't want to make it too long and rambly. There is only so much you can write about concerning a trip to a desolate landscape like Suna. I'll make it up to you guys with the next chapter I promise! **_

**_Thanks to everyone who reviewed/alerted/faved. I love you guys! Anyway, on with the chapter!_**

* * *

**_Love Me, Sakura_**

**_Chapter 2 - We're Off To See The Kage_**

Sakura's bed was covered with a multitude of ninja weapons ranging from her newly acquired scalpels that she used to attack. After watching Kabuto fighting with them, she realised they were better for her to use; they were less chunky than a kunai which allowed for ease of movement but not as lightweight as a senbon so she could deliver fatal blows more easily. Several storage scrolls were unravelled ontop of the sheets, several intricate kanji symbols written onto them. Sakura was currently busy dividing her essential belongings to be completely prepared for any eventuality.

"Soldier pills..." she said as her petite hand grasped a small container filled to almost bursting with round balls of medicine, "I don't wanna run out of chakra now do I?"

They were quickly sealed into a scroll with a few handsigns and a puff of white smoke which made Sakura cough and splutter. That was one thing she couldn't stand about the scrolls; the fact that every time she used them, she was in risk of becoming a passive smoker. "Yeah, it's usually best if you don't inhale that stuff." came a deep, teasing voice which made Sakura's head turn from what she was doing. A smirk tugged at her pinkish lips as she saw the form of a man perched like a bird at her bedroom window. His hands were resting on his knees before he pushed himself off the window ledge and further into the pinkette's room.

"You know, there has to be _something _wrong with an old man sneaking into a teenage girl's room." Sakura laughed as she jumped off her bed.

"Hey, that was uncalled for Sakura. I'm not that old." the man said, rubbing his hand through the gravity defying silver coloured hair. His one visible eye was in it's patented crinkle as he smiled at his student, "Anyway, what's all this about hmm? My training too much for you?"

"Damn you got me. I'm too much of a coward to face your brutal training that I thought I might find safety in Suna." Sakura smirked with a sarcastic tone to her voice as she leaned her body weight towards her right hip. It was nice to be able to joke with the man that she had come to see as a father figure.

"Oh, so it has nothing to do with the fact that the Kazekage's been poisoned then? Hmm, little miss poisons expert?" Kakashi asked. Sakura laughed quietly as she turned to her plethora of ninja tools. He took that as confirmation of her real objectives.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you know already." Sakura sighed, "I guess you're the best for a reason."

"Oh Sakura, I do think you're going to make me blush." Kakashi chuckled, "No, I didn't use trickery this time. Tsunade-sama told me. She wants me to go with you."

"Why?" Sakura asked, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!" Kakashi could see she was becoming more and more aggitated, "I already have to take ten people with me so that I can perform this damned jutsu. Our party is getting way too big."

"I know you're strong enough to go alone Sakura, but Tsunade is just a little wary." the copy nin sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder, "It wasn't too long ago that they were terrorists here. Don't forget that. We can't take the chance that it's not a trap." Sakura snorted. Tsunade really was too paranoid in her old age but she supposed that Suna had earned such a reputation because of what had happened at the Chunin Exams five years earlier. However, Kankuro and Temari seemed genuine. Sakura doubted that anything untoward was going to happen to her team while they were in Suna but if it made Tsunade feel better about sending her, she'd let Kakashi come, "I take it, by your silence, you're okay with that?"

"Sure." Sakura sighed before turning to Kakashi suddenly with a grin, "You just don't want me skipping out on training do you? That's the _real _reason you took the mission!" She had, of course, been joking so she was surprised to see Kakashi eye crinkle and rub the back of his neck in a very sheepish manner. Another stifled version of the laugh before rang through the girl's bedroom as she shook her head, "You're unbelievable Kakashi-sensei."

"Don't want you to fall behind now do we?" he asked with a smile, "I hear that Kiba-kun and Akamaru are getting better and better. So is Shino-kun." Sakura raised an eyebrow. She couldn't stand for her classmates to be catching up on her, not after all the training that she had been through. As the most skilled kunoichi of her generation, Sakura needed to show everyone that she was indeed 'the best'. Of course Kiba and his team would be getting better, they were so driven to succeed that it was impossible for them to do anything else.

"I'll thrash them." she smirked, holding up a clenched fist jokingly.

"I have no doubt." Kakashi said, "But it never hurts to be prepared in case they do surpass you." Even he knew that wasn't likely. In the past year, Sakura's abilities had skyrocketed to whole new levels and showed no signs of slowing down. He was proud to see that she had come out of everything so strong and motivated, albeit a bit darker than usual but he couldn't complain about that. He rested his eyes on the girl's bed where all of her belongings were strewn, "I'll leave you to pack. I'll see you at five a.m, okay?"

"As long as it's _my_ idea of five and not yours." Sakura said, "This is urgent."

"Of course Sakura, what do you take me for?" Kakashi asked, faking hurt and betrayal in his voice.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" she smirked. Kakashi chuckled before disappearing in a puff of white smoke which, yet again, made Sakura cough and splutter, "The window was open!" she shouted to no-one. Bloody hypocrite; telling her not to inhale the smoke but then all but forcing it down her throat when he leaves. Sakura shook her head with a sigh. Her sensei was just...her sensei. He'd never change, not in a million years. She was happy about that. Kakashi was the only person other than Tsunade and Shizune that Sakura could really open up to. The three of them understood her completely and knew what she was going through.

When Sakura's belongings were sealed and the scrolls were tightly bound by strings tied around their middles, the pinkette threw herself onto her now empty bed. Finally she was able to relax, if only for a few hours. Within a few minutes of her head touching the pillow, Sakura's eyes softly closed before her entire body relaxed into the warm embrace of sleep.

When Sakura awoke, her eyes looked blearily at the clock beside her; 3:30am. Too early to get up yet too late to get any meaningful sleep. Deciding that there were two people that she needed to say goodbye to, Sakura jumped out of bed and proceeded to get herself ready for the journey ahead so that she didn't have to do it later. When her clothes were pulled away from the wardrobe, Sakura's eyes caught sight of a long, thin box. This distraction caused Sakura to reach in and grab it.

A birthday present for her sixteenth. There was a card on it which read:

_Happy Birthday Sakura-chan! Hope you like them.  
Love, Team 7 x_

Sakura could see the look of happiness on her teammate's face when she had opened it last year. She had been so happy to get something useful rather than Naruto's usual ramen coupons that usually involved an involuntary date of some sort. Her hand opened the box to reveal two swords which were of different lengths but decorated with the same floral design that twisted around the hilt and extended halfway down the blades. A soft smile spread across her lips as she held the swords up to the dim light in her room. The small shaft of moonlight that was still visible through the curtains glinted off the shiny blades. Sakura lowered them to examine the hilt which had a small loop on the end. With a twist and pull a small phial came out which Kakashi had told her could be used to store poison. If she remembered correctly, the phial would react with her chakra and release a small amount of the poison to lace the blade with.

"I guess I finally might get to use these." she said quietly before laying them down on her bed for later.

After slipping on a new set of clothes, Sakura picked up the assortment of scrolls that she had sealed the previous night and dropped them inside a small pouch that she attached to her hip before finally attaching the swords in a cross shape across her back. She didn't have time to get any poison to load them up with so she would have to settle with just running any enemies through with the dual swords until she got some. Her eyes drifted back to the clock and saw that half and hour had passed since she had woken up. Sakura's feet carried her now wide awake body out of her bedroom to complete her daily routine.

With the menial tasks done, Sakura let herself out of her apartment before rushing down the stairs with a remarkable lack of sound that only a ninja could move with. The air was still cool from the lack of sunlight which was how Sakura preferred it. The heat of Konoha combined with the constantly high humidity made any form of summer weather feel awful for most of the inhabitants. The one good thing about going to Suna was that the heat was dry so it would be at least a little bit more comfortable. Sakura's heels clicked against the ground as she came to a sudden stop outside the large, intimidating gates of Konoha's graveyard. Her hand pushed them open slowly, making them creak from the lack of oil.

The pinkette's feet crushed fragile blades of grass as she made the familiar trip towards the graves of the two people who meant the most to her. She could already feel the tears welling up in her eyes and thought of how big a crybaby she still was when it came to the pair of them. Her knee came into contact with the grass as she kneeled in front of the pair of graves, "Hi guys." she sighed as both of her hands ran over the names which were engraved into the stones.

_Uchiha Sasuke_

_Uzumaki Naruto_

Out of respect for the pair, both were buried near to the previous Hokages. That was the closest that Naruto would ever come to reaching his dream, "I'm sorry I haven't visited all that often. I've been a little busy." Sakura waited as a light breeze ruffled her hair which was tied back in a ponytail with a ribbon which matched the floral material that was around her neck tied around just behind her ears, "Thanks for not getting too mad with me." she smiled softly as she swept her bangs out of her face. Her hand played with strands of grass as she read the graves over and over, "I'm afraid you're going to have to wait a while for my next time. I've got a mission."

Another breeze, this time faster, blew through.

"Don't get so excited Naruto you baka..." she chuckled, "The Kazekage and his councillors are in trouble and I need to help them. I'm gonna need to use your gift Sasuke...I finally get to try to undo the bad reputation of the Sharingan." Another breeze ran through her hair, ruffling it. Sakura yelped as she felt a twig from a nearby tree hit her and fall to the ground beside her knee, "Sasuke, you jackass!" Sakura hissed, frowning before sighing at the normal reaction of the deceased Uchiha. She didn't like how he could never hear a bad word said against him or his lineage, "Anyway I'm-"

"Gonna have to go you two." came a deep voice which made Sakura jump, "And that wasn't nice, Sasuke." Sakura nodded as she stood up and looked at the silver haired Kakashi who was looking down at the graves, "She'll be able to visit when she gets back okay?" Sakura looked back to see that the ten medics that she had needed to gather. Each of them held sympathetic looks on their faces or averted their gazes altogether.

"See you later guys." Sakura smiled before she and Kakashi walked away from the pair. Sakura always felt better after seeing the pair of them, even if it was just their graves. She looked up at her sensei, "How did you know I'd be here?" she asked.

"I'm your sensei. I know you better than you think I do, Sakura." Kakashi lied. The truth was, he'd been through the same thing so she was predictable. His own team lay beneath the earth and he visited them each and every day. Of course, he'd never tell her that. He didn't want Sakura to think he was an emotional basket case.

* * *

The thunk of a metalic weapon embedding itself into a nearby wooden post was the only thing that could be heard at this time. The sun had not even begun to consider rising yet and still there were two ninjas who were insistant on waiting at the gates of the village. A thin thread of chakra dislodged the weapon, leaving an indent in the wood before the hole was re-entered by the weapon. Once again they were being made to wait for the one girl who could help them but this time, Kankuro was not going to complain. Soon enough she would be in their village and Gaara would be alright.

**Thunk**

**Thunk**

**Thunk**

"Would you stop that Kankuro?" Temari snapped, causing the bored puppet user to recall his annoying weapon to his sleeve with a grunt that the blond woman could have sworn was him calling her a rude name. She would have scolded him a little more had a group of people not caught her eye as they landed in front of her and her brother, led by the familiar face which belonged to Haruno Sakura, "So, you're finally here." she said.

"Uhuh," she nodding her head.

"What are _they _doing here?" Kankuro asked almost rudely, glaring at the ten men and women who were stood behind Sakura. Each of them was wearing a long white jackets that were synonymous with the medical corps within Konoha. Kakashi, who was stood beside Sakura, caught both of their eyes with suspicion; this mission was all _that_ dangerous.

"The jutsu I'm going to use needs more than one person." Sakura replied. She didn't want to tell them why Kakashi was there in case they got insulted, "Now, can we go?" The pair nodded before Temari took her fan from her back and opened it with a strong swing, generating a breeze that ruffled everyone's clothes before leaping up onto it. A few of the medics behind Sakura gasped quietly at the flashy transport option to which Temari couldn't resist smirking slightly. Kankuro jumped up and kneeled behind his sister on the hovering fan that her wind was keeping up, _'It seems these two don't want to get their shoes dirty.' _Sakura thought as a smirk graced her own face. Her hand motioned forward, wordlessly ordering the medics in her control to move out. She proceeded to stay still as white blurs raced passed her, waiting until they had all got into her eyesight before making her own move.

"It's good Konoha can spare so many medics." Temari muttered to Kankuro as she steered her giant fan and guided the pair of them on the winds, "It's incredible."

"And humiliating." Kankuro growled, "A little girl can do what an entire medical corps couldn't and then shows us that her village has enough man power to be able to spare ten medical shinobi to help her. Not to mention Hatake Kakashi! It makes us look pathetic." A weak laugh came from Temari's mouth as a sheepish grin took over. She knew he was right. Suna was a disgrace in terms of its medicinal prowess compared to Konoha. But really, it wasn't all that surprising; Konoha had the world's three top medics in it, Tsunade, Shizune _and _Sakura. How could Suna compete with that kind of genius? "But without her...both Gaara and myself would be dead right now."

"Hmm. So be grateful." Temari smirked, "How does it feel to have your ass saved by a girl Kanky?"

"Shut it Tem." he snapped, "She saved me once." He noticed that Temari had fallen silent. Her eyes were narrowed as they stared ahead of her, not really taking any of her surroundings in.

"That time it was a poison...This time it's the same." she said, "You don't think they're connected do you?"

"Not a chance." he sighed, "Sasori was killed by Chiyo-sama and Sakura, remember? There's no way he could be behind all of this again."

Temari shrugged and dipped the fan to avoid crashing into several branches. She handled the once clunky and cumbersome weapon with such grace and ease that the surrounding medics were fixated on her rather than on their mission. The blond wasn't used to be stared at quite so much since, in Suna, everyone has seen her jutsus at least once so none were surprised by the level of control she had. Since the attention usually went to Gaara as Kazekage, it felt good for someone to acknowledge her abilities.

"Everyone stay focused!" Sakura's voice rang through the forest as an authoritative and dominating tone, "It's just chakra control, we are not here to compare jutsus."

Temari's face went blank for a second. Sakura had seen through her ability and just taken away the wonder and amazement that went with seeing it for the first time. What a spoil sport. But she was right after all; their primary objective was to cure everyone. Everything else came after that. Kankuro's chuckling caught Temari's attention. He seemed to think it funny that his sister's jutsus were being passed off as nothing special in the eyes of a medic. Mind you, to a medic, chakra control was something that they worked with each and every day. It probably became boring for a girl whom he had heard could smash boulders with her bare hands. Kakashi stifled a chuckle as he watched Sakura leading the mission like a pro. Her respect within the medical corps probably contributed to her control over the team that she had put together the other day but mainly it was just because Sakura _commanded_ respect. Her new strength was acknowledged by everyone; for the weakest member of her team, Sakura had to find it comforting that she was being told she was strong.

"Sakura." Kakashi muttered as he ran beside the girl, "What exactly do you need so many people for?"

"The medical jutsu. I told you last night." Sakura sighed, "Or weren't you listening?" Her glare that was levelled at Kakashi made him sweatdrop slightly before shaking his head. She wasn't as intimidating as Tsunade was but give her a few more years and she'd be petrifying everyone with a mere glance just like the well endowed blond, "They are needed to bend reality."

"Bend reality?" Kakashi asked.

"A space-time ninjutsu that Tsunade-shishou and I developed to compliment my new powers." Sakura explained, "It allows me to reverse the effects of ninjutsu and genjutsu; making genjutsus real and ninjutsus illusions."

"I've never heard of a technique like that...Incredible." Kakashi breathed, making Sakura nod.

"Unfortunately, it takes ten people to maintain it." she said, "And takes up a massive amount of chakra. That's why I was packing the soldier pills. I plan on getting as many patients done in one fell swoop as possible."

"Don't push yourself too far." Kakashi warned, "You know what happens when you overwork yourself."

"I'm not a little girl sensei." Sakura frowned, "I know my body's limits." Kakashi sighed. Sakura was just too stubborn to listen to reason when she was like this. It was part of the reason she hadn't made jonin yet. Her skills were jonin level but her mind was still hurt by her earlier tragedy so she didn't think like a jonin. It was a shame because she was being limited in her capacity as a ninja when Sakura could be an incredible kunoichi. A chuckle escaped her lips which made Kakashi look at her, "Of course, the jutsu is purely experimental. I haven't had a chance to test it fully."

"What?" her silver haired sensei hissed, "You're going to take a _risk_ to heal the Kazekage? What if it doesn't work?"

"Have a little faith, sensei." Sakura said, "It usually works...I just don't know if it will work in this situation." Kakashi began to calm down after his small scale heart attack as Sakura just looked as calm as ever. Of course she would be calm; when she was in medic mode, she was the picture perfect shinobi. Her confidence was surprisingly different to the Sakura that everyone else saw everyday. Everyone who saw this side of Sakura wondered why she didn't act like that all the time. It was a mystery that would probably never be solved.

_XxxXxxXxxXxxX_

"How far are we from Suna now?" Sakura asked, getting impatient. She didn't like being so slow when there was someone who needed her abilities. Being sat in a cave which was turning out to be incredibly cramped with fourteen people at in it was not a productive use of her time or energy. Not to mention that she was currently in a rather uncomfortable position to avoid brushing against Kankuro. Her head was turned towards the entrance where her emerald eyes saw the mass of sand being shifted by the harsh wind that had been raging for the better part of the day.

"Don't even think about it Haruno." Kankuro said sternly, turning to her. His face was inches from her own, "That sandstorm would kill you before you even got halfway."

"I can't just sit here Kankuro!" Sakura shouted, her voice echoing, "In case you've forgotten, I've got lives to save!"

"One of them is our _brother_!" Kankuro snarled, "Don't you think it's hard for us to just sit here too?" Sakura fell silent, "Just what I thought. Typical selfish Konoha behaviour; always concerned with just getting back to your comfy little homes." He turned from Sakura who just stared at him. She hadn't thought about whose lives she had to save, just about getting there and doing it.

"I wasn't thinking about getting home." Sakura said, calming down considerably, "My top priority is helping Gaara and the councillors. I'm sorry if it sounded like I was getting impatient."

"Hn. Save your energy for when we get to Suna." Kankuro growled, making Sakura's jaw drop. Her apology had just been thrown back in her face and that pissed her off more than anything. As if he had read her mind and emotions, Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder before shaking his head. Sakura prevented herself from beating Kankuro senseless only because her sensei was there and she needed Kankuro to get to Suna. The multitude of medics who were huddled together could read Sakura's suppressed emotions too and backed away slightly. They knew when Sakura was annoyed and did not wish to be too close when she exploded.

"Stupid sand boy." Sakura spat under her breath before turning from Kankuro.

"Prissy leaf girl." came Kankuro's voice. Sakura just sighed and ignored the boy behind her who was quietly muttering under his breath about 'Konoha dumbasses'. Sakura made a mental note to make him eat his words (and maybe her fist) later. The roar of the sandstorm made it hard for Sakura to even think about falling asleep just yet. Hopefully the sandstorm wouldn't last too much longer. It was killing everyone to have to sit around and wait, "Sandstorms around here don't tend to last all that long anyway. So you're wasting your time panicking." Kankuro said, turning his head to look briefly at the girl.

"Oh." Sakura said, blushing at her own stupidity. Now she felt like an idiot who wasn't even able to wait. When she heard Kakashi stifle a chuckle, she shot him a withering glare which shut him up in an instant but even behind his mask, Sakura could see that he was suppressing a chuckle. She knew it was bad when her own sensei was laughing at her. She really needed to read up on Suna a little more yet all she could do right at that moment was hug her knees to her chest and try to regenerate some of the chakra that she had wasted on the journey so far.

**_"You're actually letting him speak to us like that?"_** Inner Sakura snapped, appearing in Sakura's mind with her arms folded and a stern look on her imaginary face.

_'Get lost. He's got a point you know. I was being a little impatient.'_ Sakura reasoned with her inner self who just scoffed.

_**"But you weren't being selfish. Give him a piece of our mind!"**_

_'I'll make him apologise when I've healed Gaara and everyone else. Not a moment sooner.'_ Sakura thought, forcing the spirit away. She hoped that it would be that simple since Kankuro seemed to be a little hardheaded like she was. Maybe a quick clash with her fist would fix that. Sakura smirked at the thought of being able to show him just what a 'Prissy leaf girl' could really do. Then she could wail on Kakashi for laughing at her.

* * *

_**Yeah, a bit suckish I know. Kind of a filler, setting up the action in the next chapter. Hehe, the title was inspired by The Wizard of Oz 'We're Off To See The Wizard'. I know, I'm a sad little boy lol :) I wonder how many people can work out what Sakura's going to do to heal Gaara...I tried to give clues without being obvious but I don't know if it really worked. Subtlety isn't my strong point :P**_

**_Reviews are very much appreciated so until next time,  
Eternal :)_**


	3. Sasuke's Gift

_**Hiya everyone! Sorry for the delay. Again. I suck I know. I have a little announcement to make before I get on with the chapter. I will most likely be updating this story once every two weeks at best. I am alternating between this one and my other KibaxSakura story at the moment until I get the other one finished. After that, I'll update at least once a week hopefully :) I hope that's alright with you guys. **_

**_I'll save everything else until the bottom so...please enjoy the chapter!_**

* * *

**_Love Me, Sakura_**

**_Chapter 3 - Sasuke's Gift_**

The beeping of the life support machines was the only thing that could be heard in the almost deserted corridors of the Suna hospital. The occasional scream of pain shot through the otherwise silent building, sure to terrify any unsuspecting patient. The whole place was gripped by an epidemic of the poison which had struck their Kazekage and his councillors. Not many had been lucky; some civilians did not possess the bodily strength to stave off the illness as long as the shinobi did and were, therefore, nothing more than the living dead in the eyes of the doctors who worked there. It felt horrible to admit, but they were losing hope. If Kankuro and Temari did not return with help within the next twenty four hours, not even Gaara would be salvageable from the mess that this poison had caused. Beside his former student's bed, the half concealed face of Baki gazed down at the redhead who was squirming in an agony that he had never seen before from the former jinchuuriki. It still took some getting used to, seeing Gaara in pain but Baki was a seasoned veteran to the shinobi lifestyle; he knew all too well that things like this happened on an almost daily basis.

"Hold on...help is on its way Gaara." he said, his voice barely above the quietest of whispers.

He took a damp face cloth and dabbed at Gaara's sweat coated face gently. The boy who was like a son to him was wasting away before his eyes and all he could do was clean him up a little bit every few minutes. Baki had never felt so insignificant and utterly useless in his life. A small groan told the older ninja that Gaara was listening despite his unconscious state and it gave him hope that he may be able to fight this.

"Baki-sama...We feel it would be best if you...um...returned to your home." one brave doctor said from the corner of the room, "You are tired and-"

"I will _not_abandon our Kazekage. So do not ask me to." Baki snapped.

However, what the doctor had said was true. Under Baki's visible eye was a dark bag which told of days if not weeks of no sleep. He was becoming irritable and less cooperative with each and every day that passed. It would be only a matter of time before he flipped and accidentally killed one of the doctors in a sleep deprived rage or burned out completely from exhaustion. "But sir! Kazekage-sama is in no fit state to be seen by anyone!" that same doctor argued. Did he not understand the situation Baki was in? "It's highly unlikely that he even knows you're there. It would be best for you to get some rest back at your own home." Baki did have to admire the man's guts. Not many people could stand up to him and live to tell the tale.

"I wondered when you'd grow a backbone." he chuckled as he stood up and walked to the door, "That's why Konoha is so much more advanced than we are. Even their children have more of a backbone than many of our jonin do. Learn from that." The man silently told Gaara to try to fight the illness and get better before he slid the door closed behind him, allowing the doctors to breath a sigh of relief. The tension had almost been too much for them to bear. At least now they could relax and focus on making their patients as comfortable as possible until help arrived rather than tiptoe around a tense and irritable jonin.

Unbeknownst to anyone else in the room, Gaara's lips twisted slightly into a small smile at his ex-sensei's words.

* * *

Travelling at night meant that the group could escape the harsh heat of the desert but unfortunately, as the temperature dropped, no happy medium was found; a bitter chill replaced the heat, making the members of the group who were not used to such a climate shiver. One advantage was that, now that the sandstorm was whittled down to a slight breeze, the stars above the Land of Wind were now more visible than ever. They shone brightly, acting as tiny beacons of light dotted haphazardly across the sky. Sakura's eyes found themselves glued to them more often than not. She certainly never got the chance to appreciate such beauty back in Konoha. After their little argument, Kankuro and Sakura had taken to putting as much space between each other as humanly possible. This was mainly to stop Sakura from strangling the puppet boy every time she lost her temper which, as they got closer and closer to Suna, happened much more often. Kakashi noticed Sakura's habit of biting the inside of her cheek had deigned to make an appearance, most likely thanks to nerves. No matter how strong or sure of herself Sakura got, there would always be that shred of self doubt in the back of her mind that so many had tried and failed to eliminate.

"Sakura. You really need to calm down. You're not doing yourself any favours by worrying." Kakashi said to her.

"..." Sakura's eyes fell from the stars to the sand beneath her feet.

Kakashi placed one hand on her shoulder and sighed, "Have a little more confidence in yourself Sakura." he said gently, "Tsunade-sama herself said you were the only one who could do this. That has to mean something, right?"

"Hmm. Maybe." Sakura said quietly, still looking down at her feet. Kakashi knew that she wasn't going to stop until she had managed to fix everything she could in Suna. If anything went wrong, it would be disastrous for her confidence. Temari's eyes had been resting discreetly on Sakura too and it seemed to her as if the girl was upset which caused Temari to become angry with her brother who was just wandering nonchalantly beside her.

"You should apologise." she hissed at him, twitching her head to the seemingly sulking pinkette.

"Why?" he demanded with a frown, "She's just a spoiled Konoha girl with no idea what the real world is like. What I said was perfectly true." This earned one hell of a smack over the head from Temari which knocked his hood askew. If looks could kill, he'd have been killed ten times over and then burned to cinders. Sometimes, even Gaara at his most volatile had nothing on Temari's intimidation factor. Kankuro swallowed his fear and reminded himself that he was a ninja. Fear wasn't in their job description. Neither was backing down, "I'm not doing it Tem, no matter how hard you hit me."

"Ugh. Stupid sand boy." Temari snapped, mimicking Sakura's earlier sentiments. Kankuro just huffed and sped up to get away from his sister, leading him to the head of the group. Everyone seemed to be against him at this point and it didn't settle well with him. He wasn't used to being hated by girls but now Sakura and his sister were mad at him. It sucked big time. Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at the siblings' spat that resulted in Kankuro's childish display. He hadn't been able to hear the hushed voices but he was sure that the argument must have been about something important. Mind you, they _were_still young. Kakashi amended his thoughts; it was most likely trivial. Kankuro breathed a sigh of relief when the image of a huge sandy structure opened up on the horizon. He wouldn't have to travel for too much longer with too pissy women who were too prone to excessive violence. He preferred his women to be more gentle and loving. Maybe once this was all over, he could find one to make up for how much he had suffered on the trip to find the girl who could save them. To speed up the process of saving his little brother, Kankuro spontaneously broke into a fast sprint as he tried to close the ever shrinking gap between him and his home. His ears heard the increased footstep speed of the group behind him and was grateful that they were so quick on the uptake.

_**"Ugh. Why does the desert have to be so damned sandy? It's getting in my hair!"**_Inner Sakura whined as she raked her hands through her imaginary locks. She was referring to the sand which was being flicked up by everyone's shoes as they ran through the soft grains.

_'Um, that might be because it's the desert. Dumbass.'_ Sakura snapped, not really in the mood for her inner self's stupid remarks, _'And what do you mean it's in **your**__ hair? You're not even real so suck it up and quit complaining!'_

_**"That was a cheap shot. I'm not talking to you anymore." **_the spirit pouted.

_'Hallelujah.'_Sakura thought with a smirk. She pushed her inner self back as she began to rant about more things she hated about the desert, despite her promise not to talk to her. Sakura really was not all that thankful for her family's strange little condition, even though it did sometimes come in handy. However, those times were outweighed by the annoyances that the second Sakura provided. At their increased speed, it did not take them too long to reach the outer gates of Sunakagure which was being guarded by numerous shinobi all of whom looked to be no more skilled than a chunin. None of them really acknowledged the guards as they ran past them in a blur of different coloured material. Only the futile shouts of the chunin were heard in the night as the group sped past. Knowing that they had no chance of stopping the Kazekage's siblings, the ninjas gave up trying to call them back.

Sakura hadn't been in Suna for at least a year, maybe a little more and she noticed just how much it had changed. The damage from the Fourth Ninja World War had definitely taken its toll on the village but you couldn't tell from looking at it. It looked stronger and more grand than ever. Several of the buildings had been remodelled to look much more ornate compared to the previous rather plain designs. True to the name of the village, much of it was made of sand; even apartment blocks were made out of the stuff. Sakura had no idea how any of it could have been comfortable but it wasn't her place to judge or criticize another village. Yet. She had yet to see the state of the hospital. She could have sworn it wasn't too bad when she had visited last time to heal Kankuro.

"What. The. Fuck. Is. That?" she ground out as the group stopped.

A massive sand structure stood exactly where a brick one once had. Sakura was sure the hospital had once been here.

"It's our hospital, duh. I thought you of all people would know what a hospital looked like, little girl." Kankuro said acidly, looking back at the fuming young woman. He noticed that Sakura was literally shaking with supressed rage before she pushed past her escort to enter the hospital.

"A hospital huh?" she spat as everyone entered behind her, "This isn't a hospital, it's a fuckin' sand pit! Who can heal people in a place as filthy as this? Where is the old hospital?"

"It was destroyed in the war." Temari said, "Gaara thought it would be better to have it made out of something more malleable so he could rebuild the village himself should it get destroyed." The blond could sympathise with the younger pinkette. The place was made completely out of sand, except for the floors which had floorboards. It was such a depressing place that anybody, be they shinobi or civilian, would avoid getting hurt just to stay away from the place.

"I'll need a word with Gaara after this. This is completely unacceptable." Sakura snarled as she stormed down a corridor, "Where are the people I'm supposed to heal?" Kankuro and Temari looked to each other before resuming their places ahead of the gaggle of Konoha shinobi. Both of them were becoming increasingly apprehensive of the girl they had brought with them as her anger was almost tangible. Kakashi shook his head with a nearly inaudible sigh. If anyone so much as challenged Sakura now, they'd be in for one hell of a telling off. In full on medic mode, Sakura was in her element; strong, authoritative and fierce. Much like her mentor, she would not put up with any shit from anyone.

**_"What the hell was Gaara thinking? This place is disgusting!"_**Inner Sakura ranted, glaring at the sandy walls and ceilings which had been painted white in an attempt to make them look nice. In fact, it had the opposite effect, making them look just awful. Now Sakura understood why Suna's medical corps was so poor; they has no-one to practise on. Her heeled footsteps rang loudly through the long but narrow corridors as she followed the two remaining Sand Siblings two the largest room in the entire hospital.

"The 'Luxury' suite." Temari coughed as the smell of rotting flesh made her gag.

"This isn't a hotel Temari-san." Sakura said, holding her nose. With no windows or ventilation, this room could hardly be called 'luxury' anyway. The only decent thing about it was the size. The same dingy, sandy white theme carried on into this room too. No wonder the victims weren't getting better, there was no life in the place. The few nurses who were tending to the patients jumped at the sight of the pinkette striding into the room.

"I'm sorry but we can't allow visitors." one squeaked, stopping Sakura in her tracks.

"I'm no visitor." she frowned, "I'm Haruno Sakura and I've been brought here to assist you in the healing of these patients." Her eyes scanned the room and saw Gaara's body laid out on what looked to be the most comfortable bed in the whole room. The others were placed on stretcher-like structures.

"Oh. Sakura-san I'm sorry. Please, go ahead." the woman said. Sakura didn't need to be told twice as she pushed past to examine one of them, "We've been unable to find out what the illness is yet."

"It's a poison, not an illness." Sakura said, "I already know everything I need to know so please, the best thing you can do right now is stay out of my way." The nurses looked thoroughly insulted at the words used by the medical ninja. Was this really the same kind and bright girl who had saved Kankuro last year? When did she become so rude and blunt in the way she spoke to people? The older of the medics shook this off as anxiety on Sakura's part and merely left the room as she instructed. The others wavered for a moment, doubting whether or not she could really help them or if she was just prolonging the inevitable. Eventually, they too left, only to be replaced by the ten shinobi that Sakura had brought with her. Kankuro, Temari and Kakashi all waited at the door.

_'Sharingan!'_Sakura thought, her vision distorting slightly so it could show the condition of her patients' chakra networks. She didn't like what she saw in the majority of them so she closed her eyes and deactivated the gift before turning to the two siblings, "There's nothing I can do for about 75% of these people. The poison has deteriorated their hearts too much. The initial strain of my jutsu would kill them immediately. I'm sorry." Her eyes wouldn't meet theirs as they filled up with tears. Once again she felt useless. Her old insecurities returning to her; she was only of use to the minority, never the _majority_ and she was sick of it.

"What about Gaara?" Temari asked, running in further, "You can save him right?"

"Gaara's lucky." Sakura said, "His exceptionally strong chakra has stopped the poison for now. I can kill it, yes, but his leg is completely infected. At best...he'll walk with a limp for the rest of his life."

"Don't just stand there, little girl! Heal him!" Kankuro roared at Sakura. She nodded sharply and turned to her team.

"I want the room cleared and prepped for the jutsu. While you are doing that, I will put the terminal patients out of their misery." Sakura said softly yet firmly. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she thought of what she needed to do. Death was not something that came easy to her. She was a healer, not a killer, at heart and this went against everything she stood for but it was unavoidable. They were obviously in so much pain and it would only go downhill from here. Pushing the doubts to the back of her mind as usual, Sakura removed herself from the room, taking one of the beds with her.

"Sakura, it's alright." Kakashi said softly as he pulled Sakura closer to him, "You're going to be doing a wonderful thing for this village shortly. Think about how happy they'll be."

"Think about how awful they'll feel when they hear I only saved seven out of twenty five people!" Sakura snapped, glaring at her sensei, "If I wasn't so _weak_ I'd-"

"How does this make you weak Sakura?" Kakashi asked, "There was nothing you could do, as you said. There's no need to feel like this. Saving seven lives is better than saving none at all." As her sensei, he knew how much she hated death. Seeing anyone die struck too close to home for Sakura's liking but she wasn't prepared to give up her life as a shinobi. She was too good at what she did to quit. Sakura usually liked to take some solace that for every life her strength took, her medical genius could save dozens more. As more and more stretchers were wheeled out into the corridor, Kakashi noticed Sakura's Sharingan activate before she turned away from them. Sakura walked along, gazing at the patients as she sized them up with her new found ability. Her hand glowed a vibrant bluish white as she raised it up. With a single jab to the heart, the councillors were put out of their misery one by one. The look of relief of some of their faces made Sakura feel a little better about the whole thing. When she looked up, she could see that her team were nearly done with the preparations for her signature healing jutsu.

"Kakashi-sensei, take good care of my body." Sakura sighed as she extinguished the last of the lives she needed to. The seven who were to live were still writhing in pain, including Gaara. Temari's pained expression as she watched her brother suffer tugged at Sakura's heartstrings.

"What do you mean?" Kankuro asked as he comforted his sister, "Haruno, why?"

"My jutsu is very tiresome. I'll be taking a little nap for a while after performing it, that's all." Sakura said with a false smile, "I just want to be comfortable when I wake up." Kakashi shook his head with a heavy sigh. Sakura had a habit of working herself into the ground. He didn't like her pushing her abilities like this, even for a cause as worthy as the one right then. He feared that one day, she may end up overdoing it one too many times. Nevertheless, he gave her his word that he'd make her comfortable afterwards. Sakura saw that the room which they had previously occupied was covered in the runes she needed so she poked her head around the door, "Okay, bring the patients in and set them in the designated spots. Be careful with them."

Sakura walked into the room as her team brought the seven patients back in after her. They were arranged in a circle around her as she stood in the centre of the room on a giant symbol. After a quick handsign, six clones of the dark pinkette were created and loomed over the seven squirming patients. The real Sakura decided to take Gaara personally but not before handing a soldier pill to each of her team and taking one herself. This added chakra was spread throughout her clones evenly before she towered over Gaara who was stirring weakly, "Okay Gaara," she said softly as she tousled his burgundy locks gently, "I'm Haruno Sakura. You remember me right?"

"Hmm...uhuh." he groaned weakly.

"Well, I'm going to need you to open your eyes for me so I can help you." Sakura said. Gaara surprisingly complied as revealed the teal coloured eyes that had once been hidden by his black eyelids. He didn't looked at all like his former intimidating self, "Good. Now relax. This may be a little uncomfortable at first but it'll be over before you know it." She turned to her team, "Begin the jutsu!" In turn, each of the ten medics kneeled on the ground on their respective rune and began to focus their chakra. The hum said chakra generated would have drowned out any other sounds in the room as the energy whipped up the medics' clothes. Quickly a purple glow moved through the runes which were drawn onto the floor, walls and ceiling until everything was bathed in the eerie glow.

Sakura looked into Gaara's confused eyes and gave him a gentle smile as she mouthed that everything was going to be okay. Her eyes closed for a second as she channelled her dangerous chakra into her eyes. After a deep breath she opened them. Her irises had turned crimson yet again but this time, the black tomoe of the sharingan had increased from three to six. They were dispersed evenly around the outer edge of her eye between the gaps left by six ornate, slightly curling spike patterns which surrounded her pupil. The chakra radiating from her was terrifying for everyone in the room. Gaara felt his consciousness slipping away from him as he stared deeply into Sakura's eyes.

_**Tsukuyomi's Illusion**_

_Gaara found himself lying on a surprisingly soft bed. The room he was in didn't look any different to the one he had once occupied except that strange purple glow was no longer present in his field of vision. Everyone else who had been in the room had disappeared too which unnerved Gaara greatly. The only person who stood before him was a single teenage girl with pastel pink locks, "Haruno Sakura?" he asked with his raspy, deep voice. Hadn't she just been telling him he'd be alright? Well...the pain was gone. That much was certain, "What is this?" _

_"Tsukuyomi." Sakura answered, "A Sharingan technique which allows me to trap you in a powerful illusion. I'm sure you've heard of it so I'll spare you the details." _

_"No. You will elaborate." Gaara commanded, "What do you plan to do?" Damn it. He'd been taken in by her charms and soft smile. He vowed never to let THAT happen again. _

_"I'm going to use it to heal you." Sakura said calmly, "The medics outside this illusion are casting a jutsu which will merge my Sharingan world with the real one temporarily, allowing me to heal you with an illusion." Gaara still didn't look like he understood. His cold eyes were sizing Sakura up as she walked closer, "It will be difficult. You see, the poison you were infected with is immune to chakra. But only to a certain point. Work quickly enough and you can bypass it. With me so far?" _

_Gaara nodded._

_"This Sharingan used to be a combination of Uchiha Sasuke's and Itachi's. Thanks to Itachi's mastery of Tsukuyomi, I can manipulate time in the illusion. Long story short, I can heal what would take three days to heal in a split second. Which is exactly what I will do to you and the six other councillors right now." Sakura didn't care for these long winded explanations but if it would get Gaara to relax, she'd happily explain to put his mind at ease. She smiled slightly when Gaara's body began to relax as she wanted it to. The young medicinal genius took that as her cue to get the jutsu underway. __Hands glowed green as they swept over Gaara's now relaxed form with expert precision. Sakura's face was screwed up with intense concentration as she worked to overcome the poison in Gaara's system. With as much time as she had, she could afford to be thorough and make the Kazekage comfortable. Gaara closed his eyes and revelled in the warm feeling of the girl's soothing chakra. The dull ache in his leg was fading slowly but surely. _

_"Incredible...I can feel it...it's working." Gaara breathed, happy to finally feel his leg returning to normal. Too long had he spent being an invalid; he was going to enjoy being able to walk again._

_"Of course it's working." Sakura smiled, "You didn't expect anything less did you?" _

_Joking aside, Sakura now felt a sense of urgency. Despite the soldier pill she had taken, performing seven Tsukuyomis at once at a level far above that which Itachi or Sasuke had reached was draining her chakra quickly. Sakura increased the speed and precision of her chakra control until it pierced each and every cell in Gaara's body, purging them of the vicious chemical which was attacking him. _

_"When you wake up, do not tell anyone what I told you." Sakura warned, "I wish for my secrets to stay secret." _

_"As you wish Sakura-san." Gaara said groggily. He could feel the illusion fading from his brain. His attachment to the world around him was becoming faint as his eyes eventually succumbed to the pitch blackness of what he assumed was a deep slumber. _

_**Real World**_

Kankuro's eyes were narrowed when as soon as Sakura began to stare into Gaara's eyes, she collapsed onto his chest completely motionless. Her six clones instantly dispersed and the smell of rotting flesh was no longer a part of the air around them, "Just what did that girl do?"

"I don't know." Kakashi said. Of course he had an idea but he knew how touchy Sakura was when people talked about her Sharingan abilities. It was odd. After implanting it from Sasuke Kakashi had expected Sakura to be able to not only use Tsukuyomi as she had then, but also use Amaterasu and Susanoo. However, the latter two abilities seemed to have been sealed away, leaving Sakura with just Tsukuyomi. This suited her just fine though; she was a genjutsu type shinobi to begin with and was able to work with the jutsu as well as, if not better than, Itachi had. It was astounding how far she had taken it. He now understood the need for the reality bending jutsu.

Inside the room, Gaara's eyes opened at the feeling of a heavy something landing on his chest. What he saw when said teal orbs landed down there was the same shock of pink hair that he'd seen in the Tsukuyomi. However something wasn't right. If this was Haruno Sakura, then why wasn't she moving when she had been fine barely a second before? He moved to sit up slightly, propping Sakura against him so he could look at her.

"She's only exhausted Kazekage-sama." came the voice of Hatake Kakashi from above him, "Sakura only needs a little rest."

"Then take her to my home." Gaara said, regaining some of his authority, "She may recuperate there. Temari will show you the way." Kakashi cocked an eyebrow, "I wish to take care of her personally. Think of it as a display of gratitude for saving the lives of myself and my advisers."

"Hai. We shall leave at once." Kakashi nodded, scooping Sakura into his arms and carrying to exhausted medical shinobi out of the room. Gaara lay back on his bed before Kankuro came rushing in, berating him with all manner of questions that he wasn't really paying attention to. What he was really concerned about was the method by which Sakura had healed him. She had told him that her Sharingan had belonged to Uchiha Sasuke at one point. But that had to mean he was deceased. It couldn't be true. If someone like Uchiha Sasuke had truly perished, the Kazekage would surely have heard. Right?

Now he wasn't so sure. Just what secrets was Konoha hiding from the world?

_XxxXxxXxxXxxX_

Temari watched as Kakashi placed Sakura on the bed which lay in the spare room of the Kazekage's mansion where she and her two brothers resided. Her face was creased with lines of concern for the pinkette who merely lay, completely motionless, on the soft matress, "What on earth did she do? One second she's alive and kicking, the next she's on her last legs! What jutsu was that?"

"She wouldn't want me to tell you." Kakashi said, "I'm sorry but it's a sensitive subject that neither Sakura nor myself really wish to speak about. It's nothing personal, just Team 7 stuff."

"Speaking of Team 7, why haven't Naruto and that weird painter guy come with you?" Temari asked, "I'm sure Gaara would be pleased to see Naruto again."

"That's...not possible I'm afraid." Kakashi sighed as his rose to his feet, "Naruto had...places he needed to be. He'd kind of dug a hole for himself if you catch my drift."

"Ah." Temari smirked, "Little bonehead got himself in trouble didn't he?" Kakashi, rather than explain the truth of Naruto's fate, just nodded as he forced a chuckle which disappointed him even futher. It was pitiful and Temari had to at least have seen through it. When she continued to smile at him, he was glad she'd apparently failed to see past his deception so he just left Temari to watch over Sakura for the time being. When the door closed, Temari's smile instantly vanished.

_'There's something you're not telling me Mr Copy Ninja. I'm gonna find out what one way or another.'_ Temari thought as she frowned at the door before looking back at Sakura who looked even more pale that usual. Her forehead held tiny little beads of sweat which threatened to roll down her face at a moments notice. The blone woman just sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, sweeping the bangs out of Sakura's face. Her sleuthing would have to wait until later. She had a little girl to take care of.

* * *

"Kankuro. I'm not an invalid so stop looking at me like that." Gaara frowned as he and his older brother entered the mansion that he had acquired as a little perk of becoming Kazekage. The burgundy haired former jinchuuriki was becoming irritated by his brother's constant worried expression as they came home. Although he was surprised to find that Sakura's jutsu had healed him so completely that he was free to go home that very same day, he didn't want to question it. However, Kankuro on the other hand did. He was insistant that his little brother spilled the beans about what Sakura had done to him.

"C'mon man, I just think it's a little soon to be letting you go as soon as Haruno healed you." Kankuro frowned, "I mean, don't they wanna do some tests or something?"

Gaara shuddered at the thought of tests. Being tested on never sat well with the boy. He spent his entire life up until a year ago as nothing more than a living experiment for his village and he was in no hurry to be tested on again. He was thankful for Sakura's healing abilities as they spared him an extended stay in the hospital. To repay her, he in turn saved her from a stint in that same hospital.

"Kanky, stop being such a worry wart." Gaara was, for once, pleased to hear his loud sister's voice call to them as she walked over from the living room to meet them, "Since when has Gaara ever been fragile?"

"That's not the point Tem. Don't you find it a little weird that Haruno could heal Gaara so quickly with no side effects?" Kankuro asked.

"I'd think the fact she's now barely breathing is a pretty nasty side effect Kankuro." Temari snapped, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him. The elder blond was mildly surprised to see a flare of emotion in Gaara's features akin to concern, "She seriously overexerted herself today. I have no idea when she'll wake up." Her own concern was evident in her features. Of course she'd be worried about the girl who had now saved the lives of both of her brothers. She wanted her to be able to thank the girl eventually and she was sure Gaara did too. It surprised both of them even more when Gaara pushed past his sister and swept down the hall towards the room that Sakura occupied.

After trying each of the spare rooms, Gaara finally found the pinkette lying relatively peacefully on the top of the bed. The rise and fall of her chest told him that her breathing really was as shallow as Temari had said. His teal eyes hardened at the sight of the young woman who resembled the living dead. Her hair was matted to her peachy skin thanks to the sweat that coated her face. He walked further in and stood beside Sakura, gazing down at her. She'd given her entire life force to save as many people as she possibly could. That was what many people in the world lacked. He felt a strange urge to stay beside Sakura for a little while longer. There was something about her that intrigued him. Something very similar to the friend he hadn't spoken to in a year. The boy who had changed him so much.

"I'd like to thank you Sakura-san." he said with his soft voice, "For saving my life for a second time."

At the door, the boy's two siblings stood with their mouths open. Gaara had just _thanked_ someone. And not just any someone either; a _leaf_ someone. Not that she didn't deserve his gratitude but it was just odd that Gaara should do such a thing so openly. Usually his thanks were just grunts of approval. Kankuro came to the conclusion that his brother had to be going soft.

After all, what other explanation could their possibly have been?

* * *

_**There we go. All done for now :) I hope that was an alright chapter. Oh. Before anyone tells me, I'm aware that Sakura is in danger of becoming a total mary sue with her Sharingan but I have decided to focus primarily on her development as a medical shinobi. That's not to say she won't use the Sharingan to get physically stronger but just remember that I plan to highlight her exceptional medical abilities. **_**_I figured that since Sakura was a genjutsu type, she'd have no trouble using Tsukuyomi to a similar effect as Itachi but I sealed away the other two abilities so she can develop as a character first rather than become all powerful straight away. I don't want her becoming a female Sasuke. *shudders* _**

**_And don't worry about the Gaara thing. It's still a KankuroxSakura story! A little sibling rivalry never hurt anyone though ;P Or did it? Did I just give away too much? lol._**

**_Thanks to everyone who reviewed/faved/alerted! I love you guys :D Again, reviews are always welcome and greatly appreciated._**

**_Until next time,  
Eternal :)_**


	4. Kankuro's Personal Mission

_**A very early hi to everyone in fanfic-land! I did say I was going to do an update every two weeks but I fell in love with this story and this chapter pretty much wrote itself so I decided to treat you all and post this early Yay! :D **_**_All confusion about Team 7 will be revealed in this chapter so make sure you read carefully or you may miss something (I don't know what but you might!) _**

**_I hope you enjoy this chapter...and I'll hopefully see you at the bottom!_**

* * *

**_Love Me, Sakura _**

**_Chapter 4 - Kankuro's Personal Mission_**

_The final clash brought both ninjas to their knees, panting furiously. The sound of metallic weapons rang through the valley where the battle was being staged. The blond boy faced a raven haired one who was glaring mercilessly into the baby blue eyes which were beginning to lose all hope in his best friend. From the sidelines, emerald eyes tried to keep the tears from falling. Around her, the shouts of her friends were spurring the blond on to succeed. Sakura really wished she could do more than just stand around and heal her teammates. _

_"Sas...Sasuke..." Naruto panted as he clutched the kunai in his hand, "I'm not leaving without you."_

_"Why don't you just die already Naruto?" Sasuke snarled, not caring about how callous and malicious his words were, "You're such a fool if you think I'm going to let you stop me here!"_

Not this dream again. It had been going through Sakura's brain on a loop for the past Kami-knows how long. The pinkette felt that if she dreamed of this horrible memory once more, she'd go insane. She tried as hard as she could to fight against the nightmare which was gripping her subconscious but, as always, she was completely paralysed. Once again she would be forced to relive her lowest moment through her own eyes.

_"Then...I guess neither of us are getting what we really want." Naruto sighed, getting to his feet, "If you still won't come...then I'll kill you myself!" Sakura took in a sharp breath as her tears finally fell, blurring her vision, "I don't plan on leaving without you so we'll both die here Sasuke!" _

_'What are you saying Naruto?' Sakura thought as she clutched the material at her chest tightly, sure she was going to hyperventilate, "Naruto! Don't do this, please!" she screamed, running towards the edge of the cliff that she was stood on as she watched the events unfold. She couldn't believe that her team had come to this. What made it worse was that her teammates were dismissing her opinion completely. _

_"Look at what you're doing to her Sasuke." Naruto frowned, pointing up to the pinkette who was sobbing on the cliff above them, "Please...stop this now." At that moment, Sasuke's face held the first ounce of remorse that Naruto had seen in all the time he had known him. Sasuke knew that Sakura cared for him, it was too reminiscent of three years before and it hit home what he'd been doing. The raven haired man shook his head before glaring at Naruto again. _

_"It's unfortunate." Sasuke said, "She could have loved anyone. But she chose me; a murderer and criminal." His eyes looked up to Sakura, "Like you, Naruto, she's a fool." _

_"Don't call her that." Naruto growled._

Why did the fool have to have so much affection for her? It made getting over what would eventually become the climax of this nightmare so much more unbearable. Sakura was still unable to believe she had been so stupid as to completely ignore the love of a guy who only had eyes for her. Her own stupidity locked her in this spiral from which she would most likely never escape.

_"But I'm touched by her affection." he smirked, "After all this she still wants me. But I will never return her feelings." Naruto stepped forward, his own heart hurting. He didn't want Sasuke to have Sakura but he wanted the boy to come back and make the girl he loved happy._

_"If you came back with us, you and Sakura-chan could be happy." he reasoned, "We could be a team again. Please Sasuke."_

_"No Naruto. I've come too far to turn back now." he frowned, "I'll let you live if you move now. If not, I'll kill you now." Naruto shook his head from side to side. _

_"I don't think so. As I said, I don't plan on leaving without you. And you aren't getting to Konoha. We will BOTH die here." he insisted. _

_"Nothing's changed Naruto. You still can't even scratch my forehead." Sasuke smirked, motioning to the part of his body, "And with Itachi's eyes, my power is far greater than yours!" His hand began to crackle with a dense chakra which chirpped akin to birdsong. A clone appeared beside Naruto and the boy held out his hand to it before the chakra began to spin wildly in his palm. The clone contained the chakra in a small spherical shape, "But I won't use that. We'll end this like we should have years ago." _

_"Our own strength." Naruto said, determination set into his features. Sasuke nodded. The immensely powerful chakra made the teens stood on the cliff rush to the edge to join Sakura who was crying quietly. She knew there was nothing she could do. Naruto planned to die with Sasuke then and there and join him in the afterlife where they could be happy. She felt an arm around her and looked to see Kiba stood with her, his golden brown eyes locked on the battle below. _

_"Don't look away Sakura." he said, "Naruto would want you to watch this." Sakura sighed and looked down at the pair below as they leaped towards each other with a duet of screams. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as they collided with each other. She suppressed a scream of her own as she saw Sasuke's hand burst through Naruto's back, right where his heart had been. Her tears blurred her vision again as she saw the body slump against Sasuke. Strangely, his own face was screwed up in agony. His scream ripped through the air as they fell back into the ground beneath them. Sakura couldn't hold back anymore and jumped down from the cliff, landing on the water which ran through the valley from the waterfall a few hundred metres away from them. _

_"Naruto! Sasuke-kun!" she cried as she pulled the heavily bleeding pair apart, placing Naruto on his back. Her hand glowed green and rested over Naruto's and Sasuke's wounds as she tried her damned hardest to heal them, 'Those asses tried to crush each other's hearts! They're barely alive!' she realised. _

_"Sakura...chan." Naruto groaned, the pain gripping his body, "Don't waste your chakra on us." _

_"The dobe's...right Sakura." Sasuke panted, "Leave it." _

_"SHUT UP! I CAN HELP YOU!" she screamed, tears falling onto their chests as she shook her head, channelling her chakra into them. Her cries became more desperate as she came to realise that her efforts were becoming futile, "Don't go...please don't go." she pleaded. _

Ninjas never begged. Sakura felt sick as she saw herself pleading for their lives for the hundredth time. It never failed to strike at her heart when she heard the words spill forth from her mouth uncontrollably. The pinkette hated being unable to do anything about what she had to witness.

_"Sakura-chan...This is how it...has to be." Naruto smiled up at her, "We can all be happy again." Sakura sighed as her chakra stopped healing them. Naruto gripped Sakura's hand gently, "I have something for you...to show...my love..." Emerald eyes widened as Naruto coughed, reaching Sakura's hand to the seal on his stomach, "I want to...give my chakra to you."_

_"No Naruto don't...not for me." Sakura argued, "Don't talk either. I'll get you to the village! Tsunade-shishou can-"_

_"No. I want to die." Naruto smiled, "Take my chakra Sakura...And I can watch over you always..." Sakura sobbed as his smile broke her heart. She nodded reluctantly with made his grin widen, blood coming out of his mouth. She pulled apart his shirt to see that the seal had expanded, changing slightly. Sakura placed her hand on the central seal and felt a stinging sensation grip her arm as the foreign chakra entered her body, "Arigato Sakura-chan...this means...so much." _

_"Naruto..." she cried as her arm continued to sting, moving towards a burning sensation which was moving through her body. She saw the colour draining from Naruto's cheeks as his chakra flowed into her._

_"I'm sorry...I wasn't able to give it all to you..." Naruto sighed, "But I gave what I could...use it well Sakura-chan." Sakura cried out as she felt Naruto's final shuddering breath leave his body before his smiling head slumped to the side. Lifeless. Sakura's tears fell onto his face as she pecked his whiskered cheek softly._

_"I'm sorry I couldn't love you back...I'm so sorry." she sobbed before looking to Sasuke, who looked to be just as close to death, "You. I can't say you don't de-deserve this Sasuke-kun."_

_"I know Sakura. I know." he sighed, "Allow me to make it up to you..." Sakura frowned. Another 'favour' from her teammates, "I can't be outdone by that dobe. C'mere Sakura." The pinkette shifted so her ear was over Sasuke's mouth, "Don't let my gift go to waste...think of it as my apology to you. From this day forward...we shall see through the same eyes." She looked at him with a shocked expression which made him chuckle and then cough in pain, spluttering blood onto Sakura, "Despite what you...think of me Sakura...I can be nice."_

_Sakura shot him a disgusted look as she wiped the blood off her face. _

_"When you get us back...I want you to take my eyes." Sasuke said, "Don't let the Sharingan die. Let the Uchiha legacy live on." _

_"I won't bring my children up to hate the world Sasuke." Sakura scolded, "I'm sorry but I won't." _

_"Do what you wish with it...just don't let it die." Sasuke sighed, "We're counting on you Sakura. For once in your life, do something useful." _

_**Dream Over**_

Sakura screamed at the top of her voice as she bolted directly upright. Piercing shrieks broke the relative silence of the place that she now occupied. The pinkette couldn't stop herself from screaming and crying, her body wracked by shudders which tried so hard to repress the horrible noises. Sweat rolled off every orifice, making her clothes cling to her petite body as she sat panting from the sheer effort and energy expended to summon those blood curdling screams from the very depths of her soul. She felt so drained that she couldn't even lift her head when an oh-so-familiar voice played in her ear and strong comforting arms found themselves around her.

"Sakura...it was them wasn't it?" Kakashi asked, his voice laced with concern for his only remaining pupil, "You had that dream again."

"I...but...who...why...sensei!" Sakura sobbed as she just let her sensei hold her. Kakashi hated the stupors that the girl's subconscious would get her into. That dream, while nothing truly spectacular compared to the deaths of some people that he'd witnessed, was one of the most horrific sights for his pupil as it showed a glimmer of hope that her team might have been able to recover had they all survived. Not to mention that her best friends killed each other.

"What the _fuck_ is she screamin' about?" came Kankuro's voice from the doorway where he, Temari and Gaara were stood each with a different expression glued to their faces. Kankuro's told of confusion and annoyance while the others allowed themselves to show genuine concern towards the girl.

"It's nothing." Kakashi said quickly.

"Yeah it really sounded like nothing." Kankuro frowned as he walked into the room. He stood at the other side of her bed and eyed Sakura carefully. Was this another after effect of her jutsu perhaps? No, it couldn't be or Kakashi wouldn't be panicking like he was.

"Why them sensei?" Sakura sobbed, "It's just not fair!" Kakashi gripped her so tightly that he was scared he might break his pupil. He knew this scene all too well; having been through it himself and with Rin for years. All he could do, all he could ever do for her or Rin, was just provide a shoulder for her to bawl into. There was no other remedy. Not even having Sakura's memories supressed worked since they just came out in her dreams, making her even more unstable. Being in a coma must have broken the barriers which had been placed around the memory to soften it a little. Before this, Sakura would only wake up mildly freaked out by a fuzzy recollection. Nothing more. To see the full force of it must have terrified the girl, "Answer me Kakashi-sensei! Why can't they be here?" Sakura roared at him, pushing the Copy Ninja away.

"I don't know, Sakura. I really wish I could answer that." Kakashi said solemnly as he looked down at Sakura's hands which were clutching her sheets tightly.

"Who? Who's not here?" Kankuro asked.

"None of your business." Sakura snarled, "Butt out puppet boy!"

"Oi!" Kankuro shouted, leaping onto the bed in a fit of rage at being spoken to like that by a ninja who he technically outranked. He knocked Sakura back into her pillow and pinned her down as he glared directly into her angry eyes. His face paint was causing him to look even more intimidating thanks to the shadows which caught his face, "Don't speak to me like that you hear me, you little_ brat_!"

"Get the fuck of me Kankuro before I punch you through to next month!" Sakura shouted, "You have no idea what it's like! Seeing their faces every night. Not being able to do anything to stop what happened! Feeling so _fucking useless_ all the time!" In fact, Kankuro knew _exactly_ how that last one felt. Being the middle child of the Yondaime Kazekage, he was expected to excel in everything he did. However, when he was alive, all his father ever did was tell him how pathetic he was compared to Temari and Gaara. Of course, he would never tell Sakura that so he just bit his tongue and sent another glare in her direction which she returned full force.

"Kankuro. Leave her alone." Gaara's raspy vocals commanded.

"But she-"

"_Now Kankuro_. Can't you see she's been through a lot?" Gaara asked, folding his arms over his chest, "Not to mention that this is the first time in a month that she's been awake and you're pinning her to the matress like a rag doll." Kankuro sighed and removed himself from Sakura's body with a small apology, not to the pinkette, but to his brother. He wouldn't apologise to a girl who had done nothing but treat him like shit since she had been hired by them, "Good. Now Sakura-san, are you feeling alright now?"

"I'm...fine." Sakura blatantly lied as she returned herself to her seated position, "Just a little weird feeling that's all- wait. Did you say I'd been out a _month_?"

"Yes." Gaara said, "You haven't moved from that spot in a month. In fact, you barely moved at all."

Sakura inwardly cursed herself upon hearing that little tidbit of news. Her calculations had been wrong if what Gaara had said was the truth. She had believed that her coma would have only lasted a week and a half at most while her body replenished her chakra. It seemed that advanced Tsukuyomi combined with such extensive use of her medical ninjutsu was more draining on her body than she had previously thought, "I'm sorry. I didn't think I'd be out that long."

"Sakura, it's no problem." Temari said softly as she approached, "We couldn't leave you alone for a month now could we? Kankuro might have been able to but, hey, that's just him. No manners what-so-ever." Despite her foul mood, Sakura found herself giggling at what Temari had said. Kankuro huffed and stormed out of the room. Trust Temari to side with another girl. He swore that was all women were useful for; ganging up on him, even if he did nothing wrong, "And let's not forget, you were able to save my brothers. That all adds up to a big fat 'thank you' in my book."

"It was nothing." Sakura blushed slightly as she fiddled with her sheets with an embarrassed smile.

Gaara noticed how easily Temari was able to calm the girl down. This was a side that she reserved for only her most intimate relations so the fact that she was acting like this with Sakura meant she really felt grateful towards her. It was too bad the woman was needed to go on a mission or else he'd have told her to look after Sakura until she regained her full strength, "Temari. You need to get going." he regretfully reminded her.

"Oh yeah." she sighed, standing up, "It's a little important. Sakura, just in case I don't get back before you leave...I wanted to say thank you again. That's twice you've played the hero for us. One day we'll repay you, I promise." The wind rider held Sakura gently before leaving the room. The pinkette noticed the giant scroll on her back which contained her fan. She felt a little bad for delaying her but also thankful that she was being so nice to her.

"I have to tell your Hokage how you are doing." Gaara said, "She's been sending a message every few days."

"Really?" Sakura asked to which Gaara nodded, "Please don't tell her about today other than I woke up. I don't want her worrying about me."

"I think that's a little bit late Sakura-san." Sakura was shocked to see a small smirk on Gaara's face as he looked down at her. She returned it with her own smile as she tried to get out of bed. Kakashi was a little wary about letting her move but it seemed Sakura was more energetic than he'd seen her in Konoha. Maybe this was a good sign. With a stretch which caused several of Sakura's bones to crack loudly, she walked towards the scroll which had been placed on her bedside table, "I was wondering what that was but Temari didn't want-"

"It's just supplies." Sakura laughed as she turned to him, "Nothing deadly in here. Well...nothing _too_ deadly anyway." She found the fact that he was so wary about it rather amusing. His eyes had been glued to it for a few seconds before the reality of what the object was hit him and his eyes softened slightly. Sakura still found it a little strange to see Gaara, who had always seemed to her like an emotionless shell, acting like an actual _person_ rather than the homicidal maniac that the Shukaku had made him. Sakura slightly unravelled the scroll to reveal a couple of kanji symbols which reacted to her chakra when she put her hands on them, erupting in little puffs of white smoke, "All I plan on doing is getting a little studying done." Kakashi's face deadpanned at the sight. The bed was now full of books and files that Tsunade had presumably given to her student in an effort to help her become an even more competant medical ninja. Despite the sheer mass of books in front of her, Sakura looked eager to get to work and make a dent in them that very second. Well...She would have had her stomach not rumbled rather loudly, making her blush deeply, "Maybe food might be a good idea first." she said.

"Yes. Just ask Kankuro if you need anything." Gaara said.

"In other words...help myself?" Sakura smirked with a hand on her hip. Gaara's nod confirmed what she already knew; Kankuro wouldn't help her. And if she were honest, she didn't really want his help. Sakura's face turned into a grimace as she felt how greasy and disgusting her hair and skin was. After all, it had been almost a month since she had so much as seen a bath, "Um...Gaara?" she asked, letting go of a strand of her hair, "Do you have a bath I could use? I feel disgusting."

"Just down the hall." he replied as he wandered out, "I'm sure my sister will not mind you using her things if you wish."

"Thanks." Sakura said, pulling her hair out of the ponytail she had put it up in and removing the band that was wrapped around her head. She too left the room fairly swiftly; Sakura would rather that she didn't have to walk around looking like a tramp for too much longer. This left Kakashi with the job of guarding the important files that Sakura has just left strewn on the bed. Neither she nor Tsunade would forgive him if vital information fell into the hands of another village. He sat on the nearby chair with a sigh. This wasn't quite the exciting life that a jonin should have been leading. It left him with a rather unfulfilled feeling.

_XxxXxxXxxXxxX_

"Stupid little girls eh Karasu?" Kankuro grumbled as he sat at the kitchen table with the head of one of his puppets in his hands, "Who does she think she is anyway, telling me to 'butt out'?" In his opinion Sakura was nothing more than a stuck up brat. Even if she had nearly died to save his brother, it didn't mean he had to like her. The puppet remained silent but still, Kankuro carried on speaking as if the block of wood was really alive. He had heard the sound of running water not fifteen minutes previously and did not like the thought that Sakura was using the bath than he used, "I'm gonna have to disinfect that entire bathroom now. Don't want some nasty Konoha disease that'll make me a giant lazy pussy now do I?" When he heard a loud and content sigh coming from down the corridor, he stopped his tirade and got back to fixing his puppet, whose components were strewn across the entire table as Kankuro varnished them.

As Sakura walked into the room, her eyes narrowed upon seeing the puppet master sat around the table. In her arms were a multitude of files that she was intent on reading. Kankuro glanced up to see that Sakura looked a hell of a lot better than she had when she had woken up. Her skin looked cleaner and her hair was back to its shiny self instead of the limp and sweat filled mess it had been. All Sakura did was turn to the living room and gently place her files down on the coffee table before returning to the kitchen. By this time, her stomach was grumbling almost painfully and had been throughout her bath, "What are you doing?" Kankuro asked as she began to root through the fridge without so much as asking.

"What Gaara said I could do. You have a problem?" she asked, her head was still in the fridge so her voice was a little muffled.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Kankuro frowned, "You could have asked me first."

"You would deny me food after not being able to eat a thing for a month?" Sakura asked, finally looking at Kankuro with an arched eyebrow, "And I thought Gaara outranked you. If he said it was alright, then I assumed it was alright. Of course I never factored in your royal highness." To accompany that Sakura bowed flamboyantly, much to Kankuro's annoyance. This girl was too smartmouthed for his liking. The fact that such a girl could be a successful medic was a concept that was beyond him. All he had seen of her was an unfriendly, angry little girl when medics needed to be calm and kind.

"Do what you want." Kankuro grumbled, returning to his puppet. If he started something he was severely outclassed; his puppets were currently in pieces and she had the Sharingan. Not a good match for him, "See if I give a damn."

"So nice of you to give me your approval Kankuro-_sama_." Sakura said sarcastically.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Kankuro shouted, standing up sharply, "I just told you to do whatever you wanted and you're still acting like a spoiled child! What do you want me to do, make your dinner for you? Is that how you do things in Konoha?"

"_I'm_ a spoiled child?" Sakura hissed, her voice full of venom that even his puppets couldn't match, "You're being completely rude and ungracious! I don't appreciate you treating me like I'm nothing more than an annoyance."

"You are an annoyance. The sooner you go, the better." Kankuro snapped.

"An annoyance who saved not only Gaara's life but your own!" Sakura shrieked, making Kankuro stand up straighter, "You didn't think about that did you? Huh? Part of how I'm acting is because you haven't even had the decency to so much as _thank_ me for saving your sorry hide! Is that how _you_ do things in Suna? Is it Kankuro?" Kankuro could see that she was hurt. A simple thing like a 'thank you' wasn't much but it was the thing that kept most medical shinobi going. Knowing that they performed a service that people needed was a great honour. For Sakura, who had never really been acknowledged before, a thank you was her way of being shown respect and acknowledgment.

"Of course it isn't." Kankuro said quietly, looking away from her, "Is that really what this is about? That I didn't thank you? If it is, I can fix that right now."

"It's part of it, yes." Sakura huffed, "The other part is the dream I had. I know I can't take that out on you but your attitude is making my bad mood even worse." Kankuro moved around the table to stand in front of the girl. As he scanned her chakra, he could feel it racing through her body. She really was getting more and more agitated with each second. If she didn't release some of her chakra, she'd burn out again.

"You wanna punch something?" he asked.

"You don't want _me_ to punch anything." Sakura smirked, "Ask Kakashi-sensei."

"Sand's a little more durable, girly." Kankuro said, "Not brittle like your leaves." Sakura rolled her eyes at Kankuro's subtle jibe. It seemed the rivalry between the villages wouldn't just cease to exist. She'd have to put up with it from him she guessed, if only for a short time until she had to leave again, "About that dream...do you wanna talk about it or somethin'? I mean, I'm no Temari but I'm a decent listener."

"Hmm...maybe later." she sighed. It might be good to talk to someone. Kakashi's experiences with his own team added some comfort, but then she ended up feeling sorry for him. It didn't truly help with her own problems. As far as she knew, Kankuro could add a fresh perspective to it.

"I'll hold you to that." he smirked, "But I'd really prefer it if you'd get some of that chakra out of your system. I don't really want you collapsing on me."

"Maybe punching something would help this time." Sakura said thoughtfully as she tapped her chin. Her stomach rumbled loudly. The argument had taken her mind off of the girl's need for sustainance, "But first...food." Sakura returned her attention to the fridge and began rooting through it again, clanking milk bottles and jam jars in her quest to find a little something that might be edible.

"Thank you Sakura." Kankuro's voice said as he wandered back around the table, making Sakura hit her head on one of the shelves. Her groan made the puppet master smirk a little but he tried to hide it; laughing at her pain wouldn't be the best way to try to get back into her good books, "Thanks for helping us."

"Um...it was nothing I guess." she said into the fridge.

_'Yeah. That 'nothing' almost killed you. Moron.'_ Kankuro thought as he rolled his eyes at the girl's attempt to be nonchalant about it. His dark eyes watched Sakura as she quickly made herself a rather delicious looking multi-layered sandwich and begin to take large bites out of it. _'Oh. So there's a use for her massive mouth after all.'_ he silently joked. The smirk on his face betrayed his thoughts which made Sakura eye him suspiciously. She didn't trust the cat-like boy one bit when he smirked at someone like that.

* * *

Sakura stood up about two hours after her small feast of a sandwich and stretched. Her files had been split into two piles- 'Read' and 'To Read'. The 'Read' pile was substantially bigger than the 'To Read' pile and that mini miracle in Kankuro's books was worthy of a break, "Hey. Kankuro-san. Do you know any places where a girl can blow off some steam?" Normally, he'd have joked about such a place being just down the hall to her left but he knew how anxious Sakura was and it would have ended up with him in a coma.

"Yeah. Follow me." he offered, standing up and leaving his dismantled puppets on the table.

The pinkette briefly rushed to her room in order to pull on her boots before allowing her host to lead her away from the large sandy mansion and towards a large expanse of plain sand which looked to be very much like the training fields back in Konoha, minus the mass of trees and the grass. Boulders lined the outside instead with the occasional flower blooming from the depths of the sand; Sakura was sure they were poisonous. Maybe it would be good to get some unknown poisons for her swords later. After all, half of the fun of her job was the experimentation that dominated it.

"Voila. Now it's not quite as fancy as Konoha's lush fields but we Suna-born shinobi have grown up tough on these plains." Kankuro said, looking out over the place that had 'nurtured' him and his siblings since their rise to genin years ago. Baki hadn't gone easy on them and the terrain wasn't much nicer which made them much more durable than most shinobi. He looked down at Sakura who seemed slightly happier to have found the place, _'Poor girl. She has no idea what kind of torture a few hours on these things is like.'_

"Well, are you coming or do I have to fight my shadow?" Sakura asked as she walked forwards.

"Hey! I don't have my puppets!" Kankuro argued.

"Taijutsu only. I'm sure you could use some training after playing with dolls all day every day." she teased. If puppet masters were as attached to their puppets as she hoped, Kankuro would get sufficiently agitated by her questioning his shinobi skills and calling his precious puppets 'dolls'. She was right as she heard Kankuro crack his knuckles dangerously, causing her to turn around. His eyes were glaring directly at her as if to say 'how dare you call them dolls!'. Her smirk merely said 'Bring it puppet boy', making him leap at her with his fists clenched tightly. Trying to land a direct hit on the medical ninja was like trying to hold water with his bare hands; Kankuro kept missing and finding the sand absorbing his blows as Sakura was able to kick him into the dirt.

"Fuck..." he cursed under his breath as he spat out the mouthful of sand he just ate thanks to the pinkette, "For someone who's been unconscious for a month, you don't kick half bad."

"Why thank you. I believe that's the first nice thing you've said to me today." Sakura smirked.

"Second. I thanked you earlier." Kankuro pointed out only to recieve a harsh blow to his chest, "Did anyone tell you that you're freakishly strong? That punch almost winded me!"

"Compliment number three. I should wail on you more often, Kankuro-san." she smirked, "It's a lot more fun than Ino's 'Forehead! Stop hitting me so fuckin' hard!' Wimp." She accented that word with another kick which Kankuro jumped to avoid. He was getting into the swing of sparring with Sakura and was actually enjoying having someone able to kick his ass for a change. Of course, that had to change and fast. Kankuro may not have had his puppets but his chakra strings were able to tie the pinkette's hands back to allow him at least one free punch to the stomach.

"You don't get too many wimps out here, pinky." Kankuro breathed in her ear as she panted and wheezed. For a second, he thought he may have gone too far but when he found Sakura's feet on either side of his neck, he knew she was feining her breathlessness. He landed on his back. The sand, at such high impact, was unforgiving on the young man's spine as he felt the wind leave his body. His bulging eyes gazed up at the pinkette who was crouching beside him.

"I'm glad to hear that, Kankuro-san." she said, "But from the looks of it, your taijutsu really does need a lot of work."

_'I'm being told I'm crap at punching someone by a girl.'_ Kankuro thought as he lay on his back. It was a little embarrassing but true nonetheless; compared to Sakura's taijutsu skills he was nothing but a beginner. She wasn't even using her chakra either which added insult to injury. As he sat up, his dark eyes met Sakura emerald ones, "And I bet your ninjutsu could use a little boost, eh?"

"You forget, I have the Sharingan and therefore I'm able to copy any ninjutsu shown to me." she smirked, "It's not just Kakashi-sensei who can do that you know."

"You have to be bad at _something_." Kankuro huffed, "Genjutsu?"

"I'm a genjutsu type shinobi." Sakura grinned, making Kankuro punch the floor, "I guess I just outclass you Kankuro-san. How does it feel to get beaten by a mere Chuunin?" Sakura bounced off before testing the ground with her foot, making it vibrate rather than smash like it would back in Konoha, "I should have guessed that the sand would absorb my strength."

"Well duh, little girl. It's sand." the puppet master said as he rolled his eyes.

Sakura ignored his sarcastic tone and proceeded to channel her chakra into her fists which were now clenched by her sides. She wanted to try something out based on the destructive power of the sand whirlpools she had seen as they were travelling to Suna. By rapidly swirling her chakra in one direction while shaping it into a point, Sakura would in theory be able to recreate such a thing. Kankuro watched as, even before she drove her fist into the ground, the sand began to swirl away from her. When her fist drove deeper, the effects became more widespread and engulfed a large part of the training area.

"Cool..." she smirked as she raised her fist again. The roar of the swirling sand which was pulling things in the immediate area towards it was drowing out all other sounds. Although it wasn't a fast or particularly accurate attack, combined with the right genjutsu it could become a pretty lethal trap. She plopped herself down on the hard ground as the whirlpool began to naturally slow down and collapse on itself. Anything caught in it would be crushed by the sheer weight of the sand, "Only in Suna could I do that by accident."

"That did look pretty awesome." Kankuro smirked as he stood above her, "But not really a good battle move."

"It's more of a trap I guess." Sakura said, "I got the idea from-"

"The sand whirlpools outside the village, I know. We've tried to find ways to recreate them ourselves. Unfortunately, you've just proven that no-one in the village would be able to." he sighed. Kankuro remembered that Sakura had promised to tell him about her dream. He'd almost forgotten about it up until then, "Okay. It's later, now spill." Kankuro said as he jumped onto the ground beside Sakura. His promise to hold Sakura to her words were resonating with his natural impatience. Even though it had only been an hour since she had said 'maybe later', he wanted to know what had freaked her out so badly that morning. Sakura closed her eyes with a sigh. Even though she wanted to get her some work done back at the house, she knew that once Kankuro's interests had been piqued, he wasn't going to give up easily. Very much like Naruto or Kiba in that respect, "What was this oh, so scary dream you had?"

"Before I tell you...you have to promise me one thing." Sakura said, looking down at her hands with a serious expression.

"Ooookaaaay. What is it?" he asked. He sounded more eager than he wanted to which was becoming embarrassing.

"You won't tell _anyone_ what I say. If you do, I will never forgive you." she growled, looking directly into his eyes. Now, Kankuro wasn't one to be intimidated. In fact, he was ususally the one doing the intimidating, but Sakura looked like she was ready to kill him on the spot. That look made the hairs on the back of his arms and neck rise to attention. He nodded to confirm that he wouldn't tell a soul. Kankuro didn't look it, but he wasn't partial to revealing secrets especially when someone trusted him enough to tell him, "Okay..."

"I guess you're wondering why Naruto hasn't been in contact for a while, huh? Or why he's not here with me and Kakashi-sensei, right?"

"Can't say it didn't cross my mind." he admitted.

"He couldn't come because..." Sakura's deep shuddering breath told Kankuro she was having a hard time admitting this. She only agreed to talk because she needed someone to talk to. It wasn't doing her any good to keep it all bottled up like she had been doing, "Naruto he...he...he...Oh fuck, just forget I said anything." she said, standing up immediately and beginning to walk away from Kankuro. Sakura realised that she wasn't moving and that there was something gripping her hand firmly, "Kankuro let me go." she sighed, trying to hold back her emotions that her previous thoughts had brought to the surface. Her emerald eyes looked back into his with a pleading expression, "Please let go."

"I don't wanna force you to say anything." he said, letting go only for Sakura to merely stand there, "It's obviously a sore spot."

"You can say that again." she said, sitting back down. This was a side of Kankuro that she hadn't seen before. She wasn't sure it really suited his gruff and tough personality but as long as they weren't shouting at each other, she was alright with it.

"But, little girl, you're never gonna get over whatever it is unless you talk to someone." he reasoned, "I'm not a therapist or nothin' but as I said, I'm a good listener. Or so I've been told." That was accented by a sheepish smile as he looked up at the sky, "Now are you gonna let me help or are you just going to bottle it up again?"

"I don't want to get over it Kankuro. I don't want to forget." Sakura said, "It would be such an insult to do that."

"I'm not saying you have to forget." he sighed, "Just...push it back a little. Now tell me...what is it?" Sakura was silent for a good few minutes as she hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head on her arms. She didnt' know whether to trust Kankuro or not; after all, she had only spoken to the guy briefly and even then that was only to voice a comeback or an insult of her own. That hardly constituted knowing someone. Now _Temari_ was a different matter. As a fellow girl she could relate better to her and the blond seemed much more like a big sister than Kankuro seemed like a big brother. The feeling of a gloved palm and bare fingers on her shoulder snapped her out of it sharply and made her look over at the boy who was just waiting for her to start speaking.

"It's a hard thing to put into words..." she began, "I still can't really believe it happened."

"What happened?"

A sigh escaped parted pink lips as Sakura smoothed her hair back, only for it to fall forwards again, "Naruto and Sasuke had a fight."

"That's the 'unbelievable' thing?" Kankuro scoffed, miffed that he'd wasted his sympathy on such a trivial thing, "Don't they fight all the frickin time? Sasuke is, like, a criminal you know."

"It wasn't an ordinary fight." Sakura said, shaking her head, "It's the entire reason I have the Sharingan right now." Kankuro looked into her eyes with confusion, "You see...me and my team made a pact the penultimate time we were all together; the last surviving member would gain the most prized traits of their deceased teammates. I am that member."

"But that means-" Kankuro gasped.

"Got it in one; both Naruto and Sasuke bit the dust over a year ago." Sakura said quietly, hugging her knees almost painfully tight against her chest.

"So their last fight ended up literally being their last." Kankuro said, completely shellshocked. No wonder Sakura was acting the way she was. The deaths of the two people who were the most important people in her life must have been a terrible thing to experience.

"Me and my classmates were made to watch, unable to do anything as they tore each other apart." Sakura said as the tears began to silently seep from the corners of her eyes and flow down her cheeks, "I got Naruto's chakra reserves and Sasuke's Sharingan as a 'reward' of sorts for surviving."

"That's horrible. I'm so sorry." Kankuro said. He was nervous about touching her in case that wasn't what she wanted. He wouldn't have wished that on anyone, not even his enemies.

"That's not the worst bit. I can make use of those gifts." Sakura said, "I can make something good out of them. The bad part is that I see them every single night. My dreams keep going back to the same fuzzy images of their final moments. When I couldn't save them from themselves." Her fist collided with the ground, causing it to rumble slightly, "I was so _weak_ that I couldn't do the one thing a medical shinobi was supposed to do."

"So that's why you were so freaked out this morning?" he asked.

"Sort of." Sakura answered, "Normally, I only see flashes of what really happened thanks to Tsunade-shishou suppressing that memory but...being in that coma...my defences were down and the dream came back in full force, letting me see _everything_ that went on that day. It was horrific." Kankuro flinched as she looked into his eyes. He couldn't stand seeing a girl crying, even if it was Sakura, "They crushed each others hearts Kankuro-san. I had to watch they destroy each other."

Kankuro could have said that he was sorry but it wouldn't have been enough. All he could do was remain silent and look away from Sakura.

"Kankuro-san...can I have a hug?" Sakura sniffed, "I really need one, I'm sorry."

All earlier arguments pushed to the back of his brain, Kankuro showed no hesitation in pulling Sakura onto his lap and holding her close in his arms. Her petite body was wracked with sobs as she cried into his shoulder quietly, "You have nothing to apologise for, little girl...nothing. You don't have to ask either. If hugging me helps, then you can do it whenever you want, okay?" he said gently as he ran his fingers up and down her back comfortingly. He felt Sakura tighten her grip as she rested her head at the crook of his neck, buring her face in his black cowl. Her hand eased up and gently removed it as she made her way to his ear.

"I'm sorry...for being such a bitch by the way." she whispered before moving back to his neck.

"I'm not gonna say you weren't a bitch, girly, but I can understand why." Kankuro said, "Just...lay off the puppet master okay?" That earned a minute chuckle from her which made Kankuro feel better. He always felt good when he could make someone laugh and he knew Sakura was in desperate need of a good hearty laugh at that moment, "Oh...and I really meant it by the way; I'm grateful you were able to save Gaara and me. You're not too bad for a prissy leaf girl."

"And you're surprisingly sensitive and understanding, for a stupid sand boy of course." Kankuro could feel the smirk on her face.

Little by little Sakura would get better. He was sure of it. Hopefully, before she went back home, he could help her get back some of her old sparkle. It was the least he could do after she saved him and his brother. Kankuro made it his mission that, if nothing else, he would make sure Sakura eventually healed and got over what was burdening her mind. Hopefully, his comedic talent would help him there. Heck, he'd already made her laugh and smirk in the space of a couple of minutes.

How hard could it be for someone like him?

* * *

_**Aw...How sweet of Kankuro to help her like that :) I don't know if I made Kankuro too soft or not. I wanted him to be his safe joker self but with more sensitivity and stuff than people give him credit for (hence the agony aunt moment). And now the mystery of Naruto and Sasuke's deaths has been revealed. All that is left now is for the manga to completely disprove what I've written and therefore make my writing complete shit. Yay :)**_

**_I really hope you enjoyed that chapter so all reviews are greatly appreciated._**

**_Until next time,  
Eternal :)_**


	5. Busybody Sakura

_**Oh dear lord, is that how long it's been since I last updated? I'm really sorry everyone. I'll save my excuses for later so that you can get on with reading. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/alerted/favourited. I love each and every one of you guys :D**_

* * *

**_Love Me, Sakura_**

**_Chapter 5 - Busybody Sakura_**

The sun had long since set, causing the temperature in the village to plunge below zero as it usually did at night. Those who weren't used to it, such as Sakura and Kakashi, were curled up into tight balls underneath their blankets in an effort to conserve their body heat. Shivers shook Sakura's entire body as she tried to drop off into a deep sleep. From the other room she could hear Kakashi's snoring. She didn't know how he could sleep so comfortably. It was colder than she'd ever felt in Suna which made it impossible to sleep properly. After a day like the one she had had, Sakura needed some sleep. She wanted to do so many things and one of them happened to be helping to improve the crappy medical system that Suna had nowadays. That wasn't going to happen while she was tired and irritable though. With a frustrated grunt, Sakura sat herself up and ran her fingers through the pastel pink locks ontop of her head, cursing the cold.

_'I'm gonna get no sleep, that much is certain.'_ she thought with a sigh, _'I might as well do something constructive.'_

Swinging her legs out of the bed, Sakura stood up and stretched with a loud yawn. Maybe the cold was slightly worse because she wasn't wearing much, just one of Naruto's huge t-shirts and a pair of shorts that she had stolen from Sasuke's house as a memento. She picked up a scroll from her bedside table and left her bedroom, heading in the direction of the kitchen where she would be able to work a little more. It was hard to think straight with her being so tired and it wasn't helped by the fact that every time she closed her eyes for longer than a second, Naruto's and Sasuke's bodies flashed in front of her eyes. _**"We seriously need to get home."**_ Inner Sakura suggested with urgency in her voice, **_"Tsunade-shishou'll need to restore the barrier so we can sleep again." _**Sakura couldn't argue there. Ever since she'd had that first nightmare, they kept coming back in full force. She would have woken everyone up with her screams more times than she could count had she not been able to muffle it with her pillow. Sakura was sure it would annoy everyone, especially Gaara and Kankuro who weren't used to such things. Sakura flicked on the light switch and sat herself down at the table before unravelling the scroll. Her eyelids tried to close as she scanned the page but she couldn't let herself see those two again or she'd go insane.

To stop herself from falling asleep at the table, Sakura rose from her seat and tried to get herself something filled with caffeine in the hope of perking herself up.

Being only a couple of doors down from the kitchen, Kankuro was stirred awake by the sound of clanking filling his ears and someone muttering to themselves. He couldn't really make out what they were saying but it sounded like they were annoyed about something. The click of the kettle being turned on gave him a good idea of who was in there. The only person who would be annoyed in the kitchen was the one person in the house who was too small to reach anything. With a chuckle Kankuro dragged himself out of his bed and trudged towards the kitchen.

"Need some help?" he asked in a low, teasing voice as he turned the corner shielding his eyes from the bright light. The pinkette that he snuck up on jumped and span around with a gasp, her eyes wide until she realised who was stood in the kitchen with her.

"Oh, it's just you Kankuro." she breathed, calming down slightly. She began to blush slightly upon noticing that Kankuro was dressed in nothing but a pair of tight black boxers, leaving very little to the imagination. She couldn't take her eyes off the boy's broad chest. When she looked up, he was smirking.

"Like what you see, little girl?" he teased.

"Asshole." Sakura snapped, turning from him swiftly with a completely red face, "Put on a shirt."

"Nah...I get too hot at night." Kankuro grinned, making Sakura's face drop, "And I like seeing you squirm like that."

"Hot? It's fucking _freezing_!" she hissed. She was dressed in more than him and she felt like a human ice lolly. The girl didn't know how Suna citizens put up with the subzero temperatures at night. Sakura certainly prefered the sweltering heat to this. As the water came to the boil, she distracted herself with making the coffee that had been momentarily shoved to the back of her mind. Sakura didn't look at Kankuro as she sat back down at the table; she didn't dare for fear of blushing again.

"Why are you up now anyway?" Kankuro asked, sitting opposite, "Don't tell me you're still hung up on all this work you've got to do."

"A little." Sakura admitted with a sheepish smile. Kankuro caught sight of the shadows underneath her eyes and the tired look her face held, hinting at more than a few sleepless nights. He leaned across the table with a concerned look on his face, "What?"

"You're still dreaming about them aren't you?" he asked, his brow creased with his serious expression, "That's why you can't sleep isn't it?" Sakura refused to make any eye contact with him after that and merely took another sip of her drink to take away her ability to speak again. The puppet boy's face became angry as she avoided his questioning with her pathetic attempt at distracting herself, "Sakura! Talk to me."

"You know the answer so _please_ don't make me say it." she pleaded, her face looking pained.

"Sakura you should have said something." Kankuro sighed, taking the cup away from her so she wouldn't be tempted to distracted herself, "I told you to come to me if anything's bothering you." He didn't like how stubborn she was, especially if it was causing her to suffer like she was.

"I know but...I don't want you to think I'm some nutcase." Sakura said, scratching her cheek softly.

"I _already_ think you're a nutcase." Kankuro attempted to lighten the mood with a little teasing as he nudged her gently, "But you're allowed to be one. You've lost the two people who meant the most to you so it's alright to be feeling like you do. I've already told you that." Sakura sighed and shook her head.

"It doesn't help the nightmares go away..." she said, "They're always there every time I close my eyes. I can see what they did to each other and...what I couldn't save them from." Her head dropped and patches on the table began to turn darker. Kankuro rushed to the other side of the table, pulling Sakura close to him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." he said, "Don't start crying on me, little girl." However it was too late, Sakura was already snivvelling into his chest. He could feel her tears hit his skin as she sobbed. It was so difficult to deal with someone who had lost so much. He helped Sakura to stand up with his arms still wrapped around her. Leaving the scroll and her coffee behind, the teen led Sakura back through to the living room. She didn't seem to mind as he sat her on his knee, similar to how they had been positioned a few days before when Sakura had broken down the first time. Her head rested on his shoulder while he gently held her close to his warmth. Sakura was grateful for his kindness, despite his normal teasing. Over the last few days, she'd come to respect him a lot more than she had, "Shhh...It's okay..." he whispered as she sniffed again.

"You keep s-saying that...But it's not okay." she sobbed, "I'm alone...My team is dead. The only boy who loved me is gone and the only boy I loved is with him!"

"Sakura. I don't know if this is something you want to hear but..." Kankuro began, "You need to move on. You're not as alone as you think. You've got Kakashi-san and Tsunade-sama for one. They care about you more than anyone. That's not to mention all those brats that you're friends with."

"I guess..." she sniffed.

"And, best of all, while you're here you've got _me_." he grinned, "That's an improvement already."

"Asshole." she said halfheartedly. Kankuro knew she didn't mean it though. He rubbed her back through the soft material of her shirt to try to relax the girl; she felt so stiff from days of being unable to relax at all. Small bursts of chakra seeped through into Sakura's muscles, making her sigh contentedly, "You may be an ass but you're good at that." she smiled into his neck as she felt herself loosening up for the first time in a while. Her eyelids were allowed to droop until they closed completely and Kankuro's ear was filled with her gentle and steady breathing.

"Crap. Now I can't move or I'll wake her." Kankuro muttered to himself as he looked at Sakura's sleeping form. Rolling his eyes, Kankuro shifted himself so that he was lying down on the couch with Sakura snoozing ontop of his chest. He was glad she was asleep since his blush was as deep as hers had been upon seeing him semi-nude. This had to be the closest he'd been to any girl, other than Temari or his mother, in his life. It made him feel a little nervous but he was happy to see that she was sleeping at last. And her face seemed to be completely at peace so he hoped that there would be no more screaming from her.

* * *

The midday sun blazed in the cloudless sky, heating up the sand in the village to scorching temperatures. This normally would have deterred most people and made them stay indoors where they could get some shade and cool off, but this was Haruno Sakura Suna was dealing with; she was never one to let a little heat get her down. In fact, she didn't seem affected by it at all as her delicate hands rummaged through the leaves of several plants that dwelled on the outskirts of the village. The pinkette still had things that she wanted to do before she went back to Konoha and one of them was developing a nice new poison to go with the swords that she chose to carry with her now. The girl wanted a poison that was completely unique, yet not deadly; she didn't want to _immediately_ kill using the poison. Where was the fun in that? No, she wanted something that could slowly take down an enemy from the inside out; similar to paralysis but more uncomfortable.

"Hey little girl, whatcha doin'?" came a voice which made Sakura look up. Kankuro was stood over her with an amused smirk on his face, "You know those are _poisonous_ plants, right? Your medicinal herbs are over there." He stretched out his arm to point in the opposite direction where several more delicate plants twisted around each other. Sakura rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"If you must know, I'm looking for a poison to use in battle." Sakura said, "But Suna's poisons are so_ boring_." A giggle escaped her lips as she stood up before turning to Kankuro with a mischievous smirk on her face, "Time for a little experimentation methinks."

"Our poisons aren't boring, Haruno, they're _efficient_ and _reliable_." Kankuro pouted, "There's a difference."

"They all kill in the same way. I want _excitement._" Sakura whined, "There were a couple of plants which caught my eye. A bit of genetic splicing might be in order."

"What is with you Konoha ninja and genetic splicing? First Orochimaru and now you!" Kankuro exclaimed. Sakura shrugged with a sigh.

"I'm experimenting on plants. Orochimaru experimented on humans. There's a difference." Sakura said as she turned back to the plants she had been examining.

"Hey. Plants have feelings too." Kankuro joked.

"Then why are you here? Going to politely ask them to give up their toxins for your puppets are you?" Sakura smirked.

"Hell no. I'm gonna rip it out of them." Kankuro grinned, "I'm just heartless that way." The pinkette elbowed the older teen playfully with a quiet chuckle at his hypocrisy. She wandered over to the part of the greenhouse which held the plants that thrived in wetter soils and pointed to a large one which was twisting its way up a thick rod which had been thrust into the ground beside it. Kankuro noticed that she looked so much more rested after the previous night, the bags under her eyes were gone and she seemed a lot more perky. It seemed his comforting had done the trick. She had left before he'd woken up, leaving him half naked on the couch with a note stuck to his chest.

"That one's incredible." she smiled, "It's one of the only ones with a little originality to it."

"You have good taste, I'll give you that." Kankuro chuckled, "I grew that myself. Nasty bugger it is too. It reacts to the chakra fed to it and its poison takes on a different property apparently."

"Who knew Suna had something so cool?" Sakura smirked, "It's too bad I can't take some with me. Konoha doesn't get the rain needed to sustain it."

"Neither does Suna. I have to literally drown it every day." Kankuro sighed, "But an aspiring geneticist like you should have no problem creating a hybrid right?"

"It would be good to experiment." Sakura said, toying with the idea. It was such an attractive proposition too; if she was able to take another plant's growth properties and combine it with Kankuro's plant's toxins then she could in theory take some of it back to Konoha and grow some for herself there. It would be fun to see what kind of effects her own brand of the poison would have. Kankuro watched as the pinkette mulled it over in her head; this was what he didn't like about leaf ninjas; they thought too much. Many of them didn't act on impulse like he did and it annoyed him. Covertly swiping the scalpel out of the girl's medical pouch, Kankuro stepped forward and cut a portion of the plant off and thrust it into Sakura's hands.

"Take it and get going." he sighed, "If I have to watch you think all day I think I'd go insane."

"A-Arigato." Sakura said, stunned as she looked down at the cutting in her hand. It truly was incredible too; the plant was already adapting to being cut and was trying to re-grow some of its roots right there in the palm of her hand. Kankuro's face held a smirk as he twirled the sharp medical implement in his fingers, "Where did you-"

"Your pouch." Kankuro smirked.

"Dirty thief." Sakura huffed as she snatched the scalpel back from him and thrust it back into its previous home. She swiftly turned from Kankuro and rushed to the plant she wanted to combine with the one that the puppet boy had cut for her, taking his offering as permission to take some if she wished. Sakura made sure to take only what was absolutely essential so that Kankuro and his comrades still had enough left to use for their own weaponry. She shook her head in disbelief at the plant's ability to re-grow its roots even after being separated from the main body.

"You done yet?" Kankuro sighed, trying to look and sound bored when he was actually just as interested in this new poison that she would create as Sakura herself was. She nodded with a grin and bounded over to the table that she hadn't used since she had saved Kankuro the year before. She could remember mixing up the antidote with a couple of Suna medical ninjas. They had been surprisingly ill prepared way back then and seemed even more so now. The only area where they were better equipped than anyone in was poison development, and that was only because just three of Konoha's ninjas specialised in poisons.

Kankuro watched as Sakura began to rummage through the greenhouse's storage facilities to find the equipment that she needed. It was typical in his mind of a Konoha shinobi to know so much about genetics; they had been the leading authorities on the subject for decades thanks to Orochimaru and Tsunade. Being the Hokage's pupil, he wasn't surprised that Sakura was well versed in it too. His brow creased when all he saw Sakura do was just replant the cuttings, "What was the point in that?" he demanded.

"You don't honestly think I can cross-pollinate these things myself do you?" she asked incredulously. She shook her head from side to side with a sigh, "I have access to as many insects as I want to do that for me."

"Oh. That bug guy...Shino wasn't it?" he asked.

"Got it in one." Sakura grinned, "Of course..." her face dropped, "It could take _years_ to get the desired effect, even with Shino's help."

"You'll have to wait for the new plant to grow each time." Kankuro said with a grimace, "Man you Konoha ninjas don't half enjoy making things difficult for yourselves."

"That's what makes us the best." Sakura smirked, oozing confidence, "We're persistent." Kankuro just rolled his eyes and waited for Sakura to seal the plants away in the scroll that she had taken with her, "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some 'persisting' to do all over Gaara's ass."

"Huh?"

"I'm gonna tell him what he can do with your shit hole hospital." she smiled. The pink haired medical ninja bounced away with more energy than was really needed if you were going to face almost certain death like she was. Kankuro had to admire the girl for her dedication to medicine but she was about to try to interfere in a village where she holds absolutely no standing. The puppet master had to wonder if she had a death wish or at the very least a desire to end up _inside _that 'shit hole' hospital she was talking about. Although, Kankuro did agree with her on one point; the hospital was a shit hole. He never truly understood why it had to be made of sand other than it's easier for Gaara to rebuild should the village get attacked. Other than that, it served no purpose but to stand there looking like an eyesore in amongst all of the shiny new, brick buildings that were so much more sturdy.

Never being one to miss out on some conflict, Kankuro ran out after Sakura with the express intention of getting a front row seat to the argument of the century. Gaara's bad moods made Kankuro on a bad day look like a snivelling wet kitten. Sakura on a good day made him look like that. Two strong personalities clashing like that...He'd be a fool to miss it.

In Sakura's mind she was going over how she would approach the subject with Gaara. After being attacked and nearly killed by him once before, she know how volatile he could be. Mind you, he didn't have the Shukaku inside of him anymore so he could have changed drastically temper wise. Even so, she was dealing with the Kazekage and would need to be delicate when insulting part of his village. Sakura was only trying to make the place better equipped should anything happen but others might not see it that way. Most likely the soft yet direct approach would work here; it usually did for people like Kakashi so why not for her?

Kankuro reached out and steered Sakura in the right direction when she decided to take a wrong turn that would have ended up with her being in the opposite end of the village, "For a ninja, your sense of direction is shocking." he teased.

"For a ninja, your ability to keep quiet is shocking." Sakura said sharply, a faint blush on her face. She raised an eyebrow when Kankuro's hand didn't remove itself from her shoulder. In fact, it gripped slightly more firmly than before but he just carried on staring out in front of him like nothing was happening. Sakura shook her head. He didn't need to steer her like this. It wasn't really necessary. The puppet master guided Sakura down the most direct route to the massive sand structure with the kanji symbol for 'Wind' on a sign placed high up on the outside of the building. Now Sakura felt even more stupid because the building was actually quite obvious and stood out amongst all the others, yet somehow _she_ had nearly got herself lost.

The inside of the Kazekage mansion was a lot different to the one that the Hokage had back in Konoha. While Konoha's embodied the natural resources that were available to them, Suna seemed to want to _import_ items from other lands to furnish their homes. It made sense since the place really didn't have too much wood to make the tables and chairs that it needed. Sakura recognised some of the furniture as coming from Konoha. It all looked very extravagant and she felt bad for berating Kiba for moaning about having to lug it to Suna.

"Impressive stuff huh?" Kankuro asked as they passed a fountain which seemed to be of Iwagakure origin. It was amazing just how friendly everyone had become since the Alliance a year before. That camaraderie hadn't faded one bit it seemed.

"A bit too extravagant for me." Sakura said, "Mind you, when you live near to forests and stuff, you tend to like simple living."

Kankuro frowned. When he looked back to the times he had visited Konoha, he couldn't remember many extravagant things. Everything seemed to be built for a purpose and fulfilled that purpose to the best of its ability. Just another way that Konoha was vastly superior to Suna, "Stop showin' off, little girl. Konoha's not so great."

"That's why we kick your ass in everything we do, is it?" Sakura laughed, licking her tongue out at the young man before taking off at a jog down the corridor to avoid the punch aimed at her. She knew better than to stay still after just insulting Kankuro and Suna like that. She chuckled to herself as Kankuro flung every insult he could think of to describe Konoha at her, following her down the corridor until they both skidded to a halt outside a very large wooden door. Kankuro stopped his tirade, still glaring at her, and extended his arm to point at it.

"You want Gaara? That's his office." he said.

"Thanks." Sakura said, suppressing a smirk at how pissed off Kankuro actually was. It seemed his loyalty to Suna was as great as her own to Konoha. Although, she couldn't help but think that he might have been overreacting just a little bit; after all, she had only been teasing him. The pinkette walked past the puppet master, hearing him mutter under his breath about 'little brats'. Sakura decided to ignore that since she needed a clear head to deal with the Kazekage who was sure to be a tough cookie. White teeth gently bit down on the girl's bottom lip as she pressed her ear to the door. It was faint but the sounds of different voices could be heard and the word 'pink' was thrown around a couple of times. The only thing in Suna that was pink was _her_. Her knuckles rapped on the wood a couple of times before she was brave enough to open the door of her own accord.

Sure enough, the council (or what was left of it) was gathered around a large circular table with Gaara sat in the grandest seat. His brow creased as he raised where an eyebrow should have been, "Sakura-san? What are you doing here?" he asked, not really sounding all that angry. That surprised Sakura as she was technically interrupting what could have been an extremely important or confidential meeting so that she could have her own little rant.

"Um..." Sakura began, "I was wondering if I might be able to talk to you about an important matter." She had never been more thankful that her shishou had taught her how to speak to those who held the office of Kage; there was a specific way that, if you got it wrong, meant you could end up insulting someone inadvertently.

"I _am_ busy." Gaara pointed out, "But I can listen to you later. Or you can talk to Kankuro about it. He's very good at listening apparently." Sakura saw his eyes flick behind her a small smile twist his face, making him look completely different. Kankuro's chuckle made Sakura think that she was missing out on some kind of inside joke. Nevertheless, Sakura needed to speak to Gaara _personally_.

"I'm afraid it has to be you Kazekage-sama." Sakura said, "It's kind of urgent." A moment of thought followed this statement in which Gaara's eyes flicked once again to Kankuro. Sakura looked too and saw Kankuro nod to his brother, the two boys sharing an unspoken conversation. The pinkette would never understand the complexities of having a brother.

"Go on. What seems to be the problem?" the burgundy haired boy asked, leaning back in his seat. Each of the councillors were staring at Sakura too, some of them more critical in their gazes then others.

"Well...It's about the state of the hospital." Sakura said, "I hope I don't sound too pushy but it's...well...shit."

"Nicely put." Kankuro sniggered behind her before yelping when she stood on his foot with her heel.

"I see nothing wrong with the hospital as it is." Gaara shrugged, "If that's all you can-"

"No!" Sakura snapped, "You can't have a _hospital_ made of _sand_!" Everyone in the room winced at the volume of the girl's voice, except for Gaara whose eyebrow area had risen again. It was obvious that not many people dared to talk to the Kazekage in such a manner. However, this was a subject close to Sakura's heart and she would not let it drop. She wanted to _help_ Suna get better in terms of medical prowess, "Sand is made when a rock is broken down by water right?" Gaara nodded, "What is a rock?"

"Earth." Gaara answered.

"Another way of putting it would be...dirt." Sakura frowned, putting her hands on her hips, "A breeding ground for bacteria and other parasites that cause infections. If you make a hospital out of sand, then the risk of infection will be increased dramatically."

"Sakura-san it is merely more-" Gaara began.

"I _know_ about how it's easier to rebuild if the village is attacked." Sakura said, rolling her eyes. All pretence of etiquette was cast off to the wind as she spoke frankly to Gaara. Kankuro chewed the inside of his mouth, waiting for the moment when Sakura would cross the line, "But in a war situation, a hospital is the root of a village's strength. Why do you think Konohagakure is so strong?"

"Because you have highly skilled ninjas." Gaara said.

"Maybe you don't understand because you've only been injured twice in your entire life but...It doesn't matter how strong your shinobi are," Sakura sighed, "If they die from their wounds, they're useless. Konoha is strong because we focus a lot of our resources on our medical corps."

"Resources that Suna just doesn't have." one of the councillors chirped up.

"You don't have the money to build a hospital out of bricks?" Sakura asked, raising a pink eyebrow.

"This isn't a rocky area Sakura-san." Gaara said, "The price of the imported bricks and mortar would cripple us." Sakura mentally cursed. It didn't matter how effective her argument was, if Suna didn't have the money to build a hospital then her efforts would be completely in vain. Gaara understood just how much this meant to Sakura; he could see the passion shining in her eyes with every word. It was nice to see such a thing but unfortunately, he couldn't give her what she wanted, no matter how much he'd have liked to, "If there was another way of getting the materials then we would consider what you've said. But as there is not...well...needless to say that we can't build anything." He genuinely seemed apologetic for this development which made Sakura feel a little better. It wasn't just him being difficult because she was an outsider.

"Damn..." she muttered, clenching her fists.

"Indeed." Gaara sighed, "I'm sorry Sakura-san but I've got a meeting to finish. Kankuro? Can you take care of her please until I get back?"

"Yeah, sure." Kankuro said with a nod before guiding Sakura out.

"And Kankuro," Gaara spoke up again. The puppet boy turned around, "Please do not tell her _anything_ about what we talked about last night."

"Of course." Kankuro smirked, "I never knew you were such a softie though Gaara. Now you're thanking people. What is the world coming to?" The redhead rolled his eyes at his brother's playful teasing.

"Don't you have a woman to listen to?" Gaara chuckled. Kankuro laughed as he shut the door behind him.

_XxxXxxXxxXxxX_

Kakashi's eyes flicked up from the file he had taken from the top of the pile when the front door swung open without warning, allowing Sakura to march into the living room. Her face looked troubled, as if she had been denied something she really wanted and was trying to figure out a way to get it anyway, "Hello Sakura, Kankuro-kun. Did you find what you needed?"

"Yeah..." Sakura said as she sat herself down on the couch, "Thanks to Kankuro I got cuttings from two plants so that I could develop my own poison."

"Really?" he asked. That sounded very generous for a Suna citizen. His eyes flicked to Kankuro himself. He looked slightly embarrassed by what Sakura had said. Kakashi guessed that he had been trying to make amends and thank Sakura even more for all the work she had done to help him and Gaara, "But something else is wrong, am I right?"

"She tried to get Gaara to build a proper hospital." Kankuro said, "But we just can't afford to import the materials so that plan is a washout."

Kakashi's brow creased as he looked at Kankuro, "Really? I would I have thought you had the best materials possible to build such a thing." Kankuro's confused expression made him elaborate further, "Do you have any Earth style ninjutsu users?" he asked.

"A few...why?" Kankuro asked before Sakura jumped up with a gasp.

"You freakin' _genius_ Kakashi-sensei!" she squealed happily, turning to the man and hugging him tightly.

"Care to explain for those of us who don't speak girl-squeal?" Kankuro asked, folding his arms. Sakura bounded over to him with a broad grin.

"Remember what I said about sand being made by broken down rock?" she asked. Kankuro nodded, "Well...if we can get some skilled earth jutsu users, we can turn some sand back into rock! That way, you'll have a proper hospital in no time!" Sakura seemed to radiate glee as she plotted how to get around the problem of having no materials to get her vision made into a reality. Since Kakashi could use earth jutsus too, she knew that they'd have enough bricks to build ten hospitals before the day's end, "Right. Kankuro, you get some earth users and meet me and Kakashi-sensei down near the hospital okay?"

"I guess I've got no choice." Kankuro smirked as he sauntered out. He couldn't help but wonder how Gaara would react to what Sakura was doing. The pushy little girl was going to overstep the mark soon, he was sure of it.

_XxxXxxXxxXxxX_

Kankuro arrived at the hospital's grounds to see the nurses emptying the building of all of their medical equipment, putting it into large boxes that littered the soon to be construction site. Sakura was proudly stood telling everyone where to put the stuff while she fitted exploding tags around the base of the main building, connecting them to each other as she moved around. The men and women behind him had no idea what they were being called to do or why Sakura was attempting to destroy the hospital. Even more curious was why everyone was willingly helping her to do so, "Oi! Little girl! I've got what you need!" Kankuro shouted over.

"Great!" Sakura grinned, fixing the final tag to the doors and bounding away, "That was quicker than I'd thought." Her eyes rested on the five people he had found. It wasn't as many as she had expected but it was more than enough to do what she wanted since she and Kakashi would also be helping, "We've got everything set up to get rid of the old skanky hospital and I've sent a message to Tsunade-shishou asking for blueprints for our hospital."

"Damn...you're really gettin' into this." Kankuro smirked. It was a massive change from the girl he'd met weeks ago.

"Of course! This is my specialty." Sakura smiled.

"We're gonna owe you big time. _Again_." Kankuro groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't like being in anyone else's debt for any length of time and Sakura just kept doing things that meant he and Suna would always be endebted to her. Sakura sighed before pulling out the master tag that would set off the other explosives.

"Aww...Can I make it up to you?" Sakura pouted, "I know how much you like to blow shit up so..." She had barely finished when Kankuro's hand snatched the tag from her, his eyes brighter and a wierd grin on his face. Sakura signalled for everyone to get out of the way before Kankuro chanelled chakra into the tag, sending a jolt down the almost invisible chakra thread which bound it to the first explosive tag. Kankuro giggled as the first explosion shook the area, followed by a second and a third. Sakura shook her head; Kankuro definitely enjoyed it too much. Typical boy. Sakura turned her attention to the men and women who had accompanied Kankuro, "Okay. I need you guys to summon large blocks of earth. Not sand. _Earth_." she said. The five looked at each other nervously before stepping forwards. They saw Kakashi weave a few handsigns before slamming his hand to the ground, summoning a colossal monolith made of earth. It was as tall as the old hospital had been. Sakura motioned to it, "Like that." she grinned before bouncing over to it. With a chakra enhanced shove, the monolith fell to the ground and made the sand shudder beneath its weight. The stunned five watched Sakura channel her own chakra into a more corporeal shape until it looked slightly like a net made of chakra strings. They began to crackle with electricity before the net was lowered onto a section of the block. A loud sizzling accompanied it as the lightning enhanced net cut through the earth until it was small, rectangular blocks.

"She's _really_ into this." Kankuro muttered, "It's a little scary."

Watching Sakura getting stuck into slicing through the stone inspired everyone else to work just as hard. Kakashi and the other earth users summoned more huge blocks of earth for Sakura to cut up. Even though the amount of bricks that the blocks could provide was immense, the blueprints that Sakura had sent off for needed hundreds of thousands of bricks as it was supposed to build a hospital that rivalled Konoha's in size and shape. There would be a lot more work that needed to be done before she could leave them to build the hospital themselves. Still...she needed to get back to Konoha. There were things that she needed to do there as well.

* * *

_**What did you think? Sorry if it wasn't as good as normal, it's hard to get back into the swing of writing something when you're rewriting it. Once again, I am so sorry about the delay in updating. I'll try to be better next time although it might be difficult as I'm going into my second year of college on the September 7th and it's a really important year. I'll most likely be putting my writing on a back burner for the year to focus on real life. **_

**_I hope that it was an okay-ish chapter. Even if it wasn't, reviews are more than welcome :)_**

**_Until next time,  
Eternal :)_**


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